Rating: 3/5
Review:
Not really for me
From the descriptions and the endorsements I was expecting something quite special from this book, but I'm afraid I didn't really get on with it.
The story has been well summarized by others: set in the USA in 2012 with intercut episodes of what led to the present situation, it is the story of single mother Sara whose son Jason decides not to pursue the brilliant academic career open to him, but to train for Special Forces. As we join Sara, Jason has been missing in action for nine days and the book tells of her responses and those of others to unfolding events, with lengthy passages about Jason's training and military career.
In many ways it is very good: it is well written and extremely knowledgeable. It is concerned principally with the internal lives of the two main characters and Lea Carpenter has put a great deal of thought into them – but it never really engaged me, somehow. I found it rather plodding and frankly a bit of a struggle for a lot of iys length. The episodic nature of the narrative is partly responsible, but I think it's principally that for me Carpenter doesn't quite create real, recognisable characters. Something about them seemed a little like CGI in films – close, but not quite real.
Whatever the reason, the book didn't gel with me. This is just my personal response, of course, and I wouldn't want to put anyone off. My copy of the book carries endorsements from both Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk, and Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds which in their very different ways are both brilliant, and two of the best books about war I have ever read. They both think Eleven Days is terrific, plenty of other people plainly think it's excellent and you may do, too, but I can only give it a very lukewarm recommendation.
No comments:
Post a Comment