Spoils
Autor Brian Van Reeten Limba Engleză Hardback – 17 apr 2017
"The
finest
Iraq
War
novel
yet
written
by
an
American"--Wall
Street
Journal,
10
Best
Novels
of
the
Year
"An
electrifying
debut"
(The
Economist)
that
maps
the
blurred
lines
between
good
and
evil,
soldier
and
civilian,
victor
and
vanquished.
It is April 2003. American forces have taken Baghdad and are now charged with winning hearts and minds. But this vital tipping point is barely recognized for what it is, as a series of miscalculations and blunders fuels an already-simmering insurgency intent on making Iraq the next graveyard of empires.
In dazzling and propulsive prose, Brian Van Reet explores the lives on both sides of the battle lines: Cassandra, a nineteen-year-old gunner on an American Humvee who is captured during a deadly firefight and awakens in a prison cell; Abu Al-Hool, a lifelong mujahedeen beset by a simmering crisis of conscience as he struggles against enemies from without and within, including the new wave of far more radicalized jihadists; and Specialist Sleed, a tank crewman who goes along with a "victimless" crime, the consequences of which are more awful than any he could have imagined.
Depicting a war spinning rapidly out of control, destined to become a modern classic,Spoilsis an unsparing and morally complex novel that chronicles the achingly human cost of combat.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9780316316163
ISBN-10: 0316316164
Pagini: 304
Dimensiuni: 159 x 241 x 29 mm
Greutate: 0.5 kg
Editura: Little, Brown and Company
Colecția Lee Boudreaux Books
ISBN-10: 0316316164
Pagini: 304
Dimensiuni: 159 x 241 x 29 mm
Greutate: 0.5 kg
Editura: Little, Brown and Company
Colecția Lee Boudreaux Books
Notă biografică
Brian
Van
Reet
was
born
in
Houston.
Following
the
September
11thattacks,
he
left
the
University
of
Virginia,
where
he
was
an
Echols
Scholar,
and
enlisted
in
the
U.S.
Army
as
a
tank
crewman.
He
served
in
Iraq
under
stop-loss
orders,
achieved
the
rank
of
sergeant,
and
was
awarded
a
Bronze
Star
for
valor.
He
has
twice
won
the
Texas
Institute
of
Letters
short
story
award.
This
is
his
first
novel.
Recenzii
AWall
Street
JournalTop
Ten
Book
of
2017
AGuardianBest Book of the Year
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
An Indie Next Pick
"Original, deftly plotted and incisively intelligent.... Van Reet occupies these sparring perspectives with impressive balance and dispassion, avoiding the sense of victimhood that often saturates fiction about American soldiers in Iraq. Though the novel offers no pat resolutions, a strange and surprising connection emerges between captive and captors."
—Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal
"A wondrously nuanced book.... There is something deeply human here--a story concerned first and foremost with the souls of those who find themselves protagonists in history's darkest chapters."
—Omar El Akkad, author of American War
"A book of inescapable vows and unintended consequences.... SPOILS moves into fresh territory.... The sensory depth and description of place is perfect throughout.... This is a raw study in the ruin of men. It's unapologetic and confessional, showing the flaws in humanity just below the skin.... Every character fears failure, isolation and powerlessness, the American occupation creating a kind of universal captivity. Van Reet shows that no one wins a war like this, and, at some point, everyone fighting in it knows."
—Washington Post
"This vivid debut from a former soldier, about the capture of marines from an Islamist militia, captures the valor, horror and absurdity of conflict.... Van Reet's assured debut novel begins with one of the best opening chapters I've read for ages.... The strengths of this excellent book are all on show in these tight 15 pages: the vivid observation, the nuance of its character, the deep familiarity with the processes of waging war....Spoilsfeels not only rewarding, but necessary."
—Guardian
"Brian Van Reet's beautiful, intense, and at times disturbing novelSpoilstraces the motivations and desires of combatants on both sides of the Iraq War, showing us what happens when increasing violence and chaos start to warp the choices they're able to make."—Phil Klay, author ofRedeployment
"Moving immediately into the pantheon of first-rate war novels,Spoilsreads like a nightmare within a tragedy, a story that is both touchingly classic and brutally modern. This is a definitive record of the war that marked the end of the American Empire. One of the best novels of our time in the Middle East."—Philipp Meyer, author ofThe SonandAmerican Rust
"WithSpoilsBrian Van Reet has given readers an intensely moving novel. That it is also a nearly comprehensive examination of our modern wars is a remarkable demonstration of both the power and relevance of fiction."—Kevin Powers, author ofThe Yellow Birds
"I read this with awe.Spoilsis a harrowing and incredibly powerful debut which shows war in all its complexity and viciousness and which attempts to humanize it through extraordinary and conflicted characters. The female soldier Cassandra Wigheard is superbly drawn and her relationship with the young Jihadist will stay with me for a long time."
—Kate Atkinson, bestselling author of A God in Ruins
"The brilliance of Brian Van Reet'sSpoilslies not only in the sheer forward-motion velocity of its plotting, but in the psychological terrain it explores: what a generation of young women and men went looking for in Iraq, what they found, and why that discovery matters so profoundly for the rest of us."
—Anthony Giardina, author ofNorumbega Park
"Vivid and fierce,Spoilsis an eloquent exploration of humanity. Depicting a world with no obvious villains or heroes, this novel is as important as it is timely. By exploring the nuances of motivation, loyalty, and sacrifice, Van Reet exposes the connections that bind us across even the greatest divides."
—Virginia Reeves, author of Work Like Any Other
"Clear, authentic and beautifully written,Spoilsis a book about war for people who don't like books about war. Van Reet gives us a thriller that is not a thriller, but a grave and fierce description of the moral battlefield behind the headlines from Iraq."
—Anne Enright, author of The Green Road and The Gathering
"A superb debut."
—The Guardian
"Van Reet's lean prose accommodates a laconic style suggesting military reports and detail-rich context fed by a keen eye and memory. He embeds the reader with the unwashed troops in a cramped Humvee, in a dark cell where only screams penetrate, and in the mind of a Muslim fighters with two decades of campaigning, a dead son, lost wife, scant wins, and more doubts than faith can ease. A fine piece of writing that should stand in the front ranks of recent war novels."—Kirkus(starred review)
"In straightforward, often powerful prose, Van Reet captures the Iraq War as Tim O'Brien did Vietnam.... Cassandra's captivity is the focus of much of the novel, and Van Reet captures her experience vividly and terrifyingly. Seeing the conflict through a woman's eyes is a compelling approach and deserves attention."—Booklist
"Van Reet's unsettling tale is an authentic portrayal of combat with its chaos, fear, and finality of death. It is also a sobering commentary on war's brutality and the burning intensity of Iraq's jihadist insurgency."—Publishers Weekly
"Spoilsis not just the well-described ambiance of the sand, heat, rains and stench of war, with its course soldier talk and extravagant weaponry--it's also a damn fine story.... In every war, heroism is not just for those who win medals.Spoilsis the story of those who rise to small acts of valor while no one is looking."
—Shelf Awareness
"In his debut novel, Brian Van Reet sets his characters on a collision course amidst the chaos of the early stages of the Iraq War.... As the story unfolds, flesh and convictions are pitted against each other, drawing blood with every inch surrendered.... At its core,Spoilsis a narrative of intertwining struggles, with each character bound and trapped by the Iraq War in one way or another. The storytelling is both intense and surreal.... In time, Van Reet'sSpoilsmay become a classic of the Iraq War."
—Foreign Policy
"Stunning.... It has the ring of absolute authenticity, and Van Reet clearly articulates the violent mechanics of modern warfare. But this is, above all, a human story, a psychological drama between ideologically opposed captor and captive played out in the fog of war. A powerful and compelling narrative."—Mail on Sunday
"With echoes of hit TV shows and movies fromHomelandtoHurt Locker, Van Reet's debut works equally well as a geopolitical action-thriller and a literary novel.... But it also carries a philosophical heft and emotional wallop....Spoilsis beautifully written, too: Van Reet has a way of capturing the essential nature of things in just a few words, expressive but tightly wound."—Independent
"Electrifying....Spoilsis a timely novel with striking relevance to the current war in Syria, increasingly shaped and sustained by foreign interests and intervention.... Van Reet paints a harrowing picture of the dangers of propaganda and the true cost of "collateral damage". At a time when political rhetoric is exacerbating divisions worldwide, this is a novel with an urgent message."—Economist
AGuardianBest Book of the Year
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
An Indie Next Pick
"Original, deftly plotted and incisively intelligent.... Van Reet occupies these sparring perspectives with impressive balance and dispassion, avoiding the sense of victimhood that often saturates fiction about American soldiers in Iraq. Though the novel offers no pat resolutions, a strange and surprising connection emerges between captive and captors."
—Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal
"A wondrously nuanced book.... There is something deeply human here--a story concerned first and foremost with the souls of those who find themselves protagonists in history's darkest chapters."
—Omar El Akkad, author of American War
"A book of inescapable vows and unintended consequences.... SPOILS moves into fresh territory.... The sensory depth and description of place is perfect throughout.... This is a raw study in the ruin of men. It's unapologetic and confessional, showing the flaws in humanity just below the skin.... Every character fears failure, isolation and powerlessness, the American occupation creating a kind of universal captivity. Van Reet shows that no one wins a war like this, and, at some point, everyone fighting in it knows."
—Washington Post
"This vivid debut from a former soldier, about the capture of marines from an Islamist militia, captures the valor, horror and absurdity of conflict.... Van Reet's assured debut novel begins with one of the best opening chapters I've read for ages.... The strengths of this excellent book are all on show in these tight 15 pages: the vivid observation, the nuance of its character, the deep familiarity with the processes of waging war....Spoilsfeels not only rewarding, but necessary."
—Guardian
"Brian Van Reet's beautiful, intense, and at times disturbing novelSpoilstraces the motivations and desires of combatants on both sides of the Iraq War, showing us what happens when increasing violence and chaos start to warp the choices they're able to make."—Phil Klay, author ofRedeployment
"Moving immediately into the pantheon of first-rate war novels,Spoilsreads like a nightmare within a tragedy, a story that is both touchingly classic and brutally modern. This is a definitive record of the war that marked the end of the American Empire. One of the best novels of our time in the Middle East."—Philipp Meyer, author ofThe SonandAmerican Rust
"WithSpoilsBrian Van Reet has given readers an intensely moving novel. That it is also a nearly comprehensive examination of our modern wars is a remarkable demonstration of both the power and relevance of fiction."—Kevin Powers, author ofThe Yellow Birds
"I read this with awe.Spoilsis a harrowing and incredibly powerful debut which shows war in all its complexity and viciousness and which attempts to humanize it through extraordinary and conflicted characters. The female soldier Cassandra Wigheard is superbly drawn and her relationship with the young Jihadist will stay with me for a long time."
—Kate Atkinson, bestselling author of A God in Ruins
"The brilliance of Brian Van Reet'sSpoilslies not only in the sheer forward-motion velocity of its plotting, but in the psychological terrain it explores: what a generation of young women and men went looking for in Iraq, what they found, and why that discovery matters so profoundly for the rest of us."
—Anthony Giardina, author ofNorumbega Park
"Vivid and fierce,Spoilsis an eloquent exploration of humanity. Depicting a world with no obvious villains or heroes, this novel is as important as it is timely. By exploring the nuances of motivation, loyalty, and sacrifice, Van Reet exposes the connections that bind us across even the greatest divides."
—Virginia Reeves, author of Work Like Any Other
"Clear, authentic and beautifully written,Spoilsis a book about war for people who don't like books about war. Van Reet gives us a thriller that is not a thriller, but a grave and fierce description of the moral battlefield behind the headlines from Iraq."
—Anne Enright, author of The Green Road and The Gathering
"A superb debut."
—The Guardian
"Van Reet's lean prose accommodates a laconic style suggesting military reports and detail-rich context fed by a keen eye and memory. He embeds the reader with the unwashed troops in a cramped Humvee, in a dark cell where only screams penetrate, and in the mind of a Muslim fighters with two decades of campaigning, a dead son, lost wife, scant wins, and more doubts than faith can ease. A fine piece of writing that should stand in the front ranks of recent war novels."—Kirkus(starred review)
"In straightforward, often powerful prose, Van Reet captures the Iraq War as Tim O'Brien did Vietnam.... Cassandra's captivity is the focus of much of the novel, and Van Reet captures her experience vividly and terrifyingly. Seeing the conflict through a woman's eyes is a compelling approach and deserves attention."—Booklist
"Van Reet's unsettling tale is an authentic portrayal of combat with its chaos, fear, and finality of death. It is also a sobering commentary on war's brutality and the burning intensity of Iraq's jihadist insurgency."—Publishers Weekly
"Spoilsis not just the well-described ambiance of the sand, heat, rains and stench of war, with its course soldier talk and extravagant weaponry--it's also a damn fine story.... In every war, heroism is not just for those who win medals.Spoilsis the story of those who rise to small acts of valor while no one is looking."
—Shelf Awareness
"In his debut novel, Brian Van Reet sets his characters on a collision course amidst the chaos of the early stages of the Iraq War.... As the story unfolds, flesh and convictions are pitted against each other, drawing blood with every inch surrendered.... At its core,Spoilsis a narrative of intertwining struggles, with each character bound and trapped by the Iraq War in one way or another. The storytelling is both intense and surreal.... In time, Van Reet'sSpoilsmay become a classic of the Iraq War."
—Foreign Policy
"Stunning.... It has the ring of absolute authenticity, and Van Reet clearly articulates the violent mechanics of modern warfare. But this is, above all, a human story, a psychological drama between ideologically opposed captor and captive played out in the fog of war. A powerful and compelling narrative."—Mail on Sunday
"With echoes of hit TV shows and movies fromHomelandtoHurt Locker, Van Reet's debut works equally well as a geopolitical action-thriller and a literary novel.... But it also carries a philosophical heft and emotional wallop....Spoilsis beautifully written, too: Van Reet has a way of capturing the essential nature of things in just a few words, expressive but tightly wound."—Independent
"Electrifying....Spoilsis a timely novel with striking relevance to the current war in Syria, increasingly shaped and sustained by foreign interests and intervention.... Van Reet paints a harrowing picture of the dangers of propaganda and the true cost of "collateral damage". At a time when political rhetoric is exacerbating divisions worldwide, this is a novel with an urgent message."—Economist