( 11 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 16 2009
Novel Without a Name relates the story of Quan, a long-time soldier who has risen to the rank of captain in the then-North Vietnamese army in its War Against the Americans. After nearly ten years of continuous active duty, Quan has become disillusioned with war. He also becomes increasingly bitter about the inequality he observes within Vietnam. In Quan's telling there is an inverse relationship between power and service. Party leaders, in the military and out, mouth platitudes that no longer have meaning to the ones doing the actual fighting. Huong portrays this cynical, if accurate, view as being widely held. Huong communicates the terribleness of war in all its effects - death, injury, civilian displacement, and widespread hunger to name a few. Huong moves Quan back and forth in time so that the reader learns something about his upbringing and village life. The book lacks focus and flow. The story sort of centers around Quon and two friends from his home village, one of whom has risen to high rank and the other who remains a mere sergeant, but Huong never holds that focus for long. The book feels rather disjointed. Although the book was banned in Vietnam, Huong never expresses any sympathy whatsoever for the enemy, whether the Americans or their Vietnamese `lackeys'. She does convey discontent with the suppression of ideas, the rigidity of permissible thoughts and expression, and the uneven distribution of benefits. In this somewhat uneven book, Huong succeeds best when she relates the myriad impacts of such a long war. Huong's long military service gives the book credibility. American readers in particular will benefit from reading about the war from the viewpoint of the enemy. Recommended.
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Posted: Nov 29 2008
I'd like to start off with a disclaimer. Everyone feels that this books is a stunning portrayal of the horrors of war and the toll this has on normal people, that the author was punished for daring to pen such a momentous work, and that the author uses beautiful language. All of those things are absolutely true. And none of those things make this horrible book worth reading. The narrator of this book, who seems to be suffering from sorrows in his childhood as well as the miseries of war, does nothing but wander around the jungle, whining about how much he misses shrimp sauce, encountering people that either serve no point or bolster the theme of hypocrisy and disillusionment until the point is redundant. Most of these characters are flat and die or disappear within pages. There is no character development at all, next to no plot, no real action, and no resolution to the feeble conflicts that arise. Plus, the narrator is continually experiencing odd (and usually gruesome) visions or dreams, usually for no apparent reason. Even worse are his flashbacks. He seems to have a flashback every few pages. I'd heard that flashbacks were a very clumsy literary advice and that authors should avoid them, and now I certainly know why! It's awful! These flashbacks also make things somewhat confusing. There is no sense of continuity, and this detracts from the idea of a coherent plot. So in spite of having a story to tell, a point to make, and a gift for vivid, even lovely prose, the author just couldn't make it work for me.
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( 2 of 5 found this review helpful ) Posted: Nov 29 2008
I'd like to start off with a disclaimer. Everyone feels that this books is a stunning portrayal of the horrors of war and the toll this has on normal people, that the author was punished for daring to pen such a momentous work, and that the author uses beautiful language. All of those things are absolutely true. And none of those things make this horrible book worth reading. Billed as one of the best war books ever written, this novel has been praised for its vivid portrayal of the horrors of war, its criticism of the Communist Vietnamese government, and its hauntingly beautiful prose. I'm not going to dispute any of that. Instead, I'm going to lament the disappointing fact that none of those elements could redeem this horrible tome of tedium at all. There is no plot, no character development, nothing. The narrator, who seems to be suffering from the sorrows of his childhood just as much as the trauma of war, wanders through the jungle whining about how much he misses shrimp sauce and how much he hates his father. The author introduces characters that normally have no impact on the story whatsoever and either die or disappear within a few paragraphs, mercifully before one can develop any emotional attachment to the person. The dialogue is monotonous and when it has a purpose, it serves only to bolster points (such as disillusionment and hypocrisy) which soon become hideously redundant. The narrator is plagued with odd and often gruesome visions and dreams, most of whch have no discernable point whatsoever and seem to have been thrown in on a whim. Finally, worst of all, are the flashbacks. Every single thing I've read about writing has warned against the use of flashbacks, and now I know why! The author has riddled this book with this cumbersome literary device. The unfortunate narrator has a flashback every few pages. While this is very elucidating about the past events, this makes it difficult to read. Any sense of continuity is destroyed. The book soon becomes confusing as one tries to determine when, or even if, something happened. What could have been a good story in better hands degenerates into incoherent twaddle. So in spite of having a story to tell, a point to make, and a gift for vivid, even lovely, prose, the author couldn't make it work for me. Perhaps other people might enjoy the book.
