Review of Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath
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Corina Zisu
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Review of Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath" by Randy Miller.]
The novel is historical fiction, remarkable both in its execution and the events narrated. The Vietnam War is a dark period in the recent history of humanity. The Americans engaged, as allies, in the anti-communist war, with all that this engagement implied: human casualties, material losses, and ecological disasters. Moreover, the world still has vivid memories of World War II, which shapes the action to a high degree.
As mentioned in the novel, the Vietnam War was a factor that highly divided American society. On one hand, the soldiers went where they had to without any choice. They took part in it even though there were voices among them who wanted to get out of a war that was not theirs, as is the case of a mariner, briefly exemplified in the novel, who chose to run away and marry a Vietnamese woman. His runaway was far from being successful since the Office of Naval Investigation was insistently looking for him, and ultimately, he got punished for desertion. Therefore, the soldiers had no choice. On the other hand, civil society took an extreme position against a war that exceeded all thinkable limits through the strategies employed and also against the marines fighting in it.
Zack, the central character in this historical fiction, is a young man who decides to enlist before graduating from high school. The war in which he was involved forced him to mature and also strengthen his love, and it finalized by bringing him serious health problems. The love he bears for his high school girlfriend, Tally, is the light that helps him overcome the horrors he takes part in and accompanies him until the end of his life. The main character is beautifully outlined, with thoughtful details, throughout his attitudes, opinions, language, and interactions with those around him.
The number of characters in the novel is large, which makes it rather difficult to read. Some are fully characterized, and others are not, though there is a certain balance and no objective necessity to add more to any of them.
The only thing that made me rate it four stars instead of five is the book's first quarter, which was difficult to read. On the one hand, the author supplies many details from a mariner's everyday life that can overwhelm a reader, especially one who does not have a clear image of a battleship. On the other hand, the author attempts to reproduce the various dialects used by mariners gathered from all corners of the USA. This attempt makes reading a demanding task, especially for a person who is not a native English speaker. The author paid significant attention to the editing process and avoided errors other than those related to the characters' direct speech.
The book is not intended for sensitive readers because it presents several relatively detailed violent scenes from a devastating war that significantly marked public opinion and managed to shape the current concept of what is not allowed even in an armed conflict.
******
Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The novel is historical fiction, remarkable both in its execution and the events narrated. The Vietnam War is a dark period in the recent history of humanity. The Americans engaged, as allies, in the anti-communist war, with all that this engagement implied: human casualties, material losses, and ecological disasters. Moreover, the world still has vivid memories of World War II, which shapes the action to a high degree.
As mentioned in the novel, the Vietnam War was a factor that highly divided American society. On one hand, the soldiers went where they had to without any choice. They took part in it even though there were voices among them who wanted to get out of a war that was not theirs, as is the case of a mariner, briefly exemplified in the novel, who chose to run away and marry a Vietnamese woman. His runaway was far from being successful since the Office of Naval Investigation was insistently looking for him, and ultimately, he got punished for desertion. Therefore, the soldiers had no choice. On the other hand, civil society took an extreme position against a war that exceeded all thinkable limits through the strategies employed and also against the marines fighting in it.
Zack, the central character in this historical fiction, is a young man who decides to enlist before graduating from high school. The war in which he was involved forced him to mature and also strengthen his love, and it finalized by bringing him serious health problems. The love he bears for his high school girlfriend, Tally, is the light that helps him overcome the horrors he takes part in and accompanies him until the end of his life. The main character is beautifully outlined, with thoughtful details, throughout his attitudes, opinions, language, and interactions with those around him.
The number of characters in the novel is large, which makes it rather difficult to read. Some are fully characterized, and others are not, though there is a certain balance and no objective necessity to add more to any of them.
The only thing that made me rate it four stars instead of five is the book's first quarter, which was difficult to read. On the one hand, the author supplies many details from a mariner's everyday life that can overwhelm a reader, especially one who does not have a clear image of a battleship. On the other hand, the author attempts to reproduce the various dialects used by mariners gathered from all corners of the USA. This attempt makes reading a demanding task, especially for a person who is not a native English speaker. The author paid significant attention to the editing process and avoided errors other than those related to the characters' direct speech.
The book is not intended for sensitive readers because it presents several relatively detailed violent scenes from a devastating war that significantly marked public opinion and managed to shape the current concept of what is not allowed even in an armed conflict.
******
Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Legacy of Job's Wife by Cynthia Koelker
