The Things They Carried

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a fictionalized series of stories about his experiences in the Vietnam war. And yet, it's a lot more than that. It's a reflection on life, dreams, death, and above all, storytelling. O'Brien takes care to note that much of "story-truth" which is objectively untrue, is often more reflective of actual events than "happening-truth" which is to say, the perspective of an omniscient narrator. "Story-truth" is a much more human way to approach things because it's how we actually experience the world. For example, when talking about a fellow soldier getting blown up by a booby trapped artillery shell, O'Brien talks about how the actual experience is looking at the soldier, looking away from the blast, looking back at what remains, looking away again, and then coming back to the actual horror of what happened. You get a much more personal feel and experience with "story-truth" than with "happening-truth." "Story truth" isn't some objective truth, but it's true as far as the character in the story, or a person's memory remembers it as truth.

O'Brien's writing is absolutely gripping. The stories are all tied together through his Vietnam experience but range from his current (as of the writing) middle-aged self, to Timmy as a 4th grader. Every story is compelling in it's own way, but what's most impressive is the immediacy of each story. You are there. You are watching Curt Lemon get blown up. You are retrieving his yellow slimy guts from the banyan tree. Moreover, you're stunned by how everything can go from tranquility to horror in just the space of a few words. And a very few words at that.

I've read many books on the Vietnam war: journalistic accounts, oral histories, memoirs, military histories, political histories, you name it. The Things They Carried is exceptional among all these books because O'Brien's facility with the language envelops you into the text. Whether or not you want to be, you're in Vietnam with him. You're at the Canadian border considering dodging the draft. The war, O'Brien's war, becomes your war even if you weren't born yet. The Things They Carried isn't just a book about the Vietnam war; it's a book about what it means to have human emotion and a human psyche. Simply put, this is one of the best books I've read in years, maybe ever. Don't wait. Go read this book right now.