There is nothing truly new in Kevin Powers’ Iraq War novel The Yellow Birds, but the author does
wonderful things with familiar material. The main characters are Private
Bartle, a 21 year old soldier who narrates the book and is about as competent in
war as can be expected, Murph, an even younger and very fragile soldier he
befriends, and Sergeant Sterling, their grizzled, battle-tested leader. These
character types have appeared in plenty of war movies and novels, but it’s the
spectacular voice Powers gives Bartle that makes this not just a war novel but
one that could very well be the novel
about the Iraq War.
Early in the book, Private Bartle makes a promise to Private
Murphy’s mother that he will “bring him home” to her. Sergeant Sterling overhears this exchange and
later in a drunken rage physically attacks Bartle for making such a promise. It
seems like a savage attack, and it is, but as the story shows the increasing
horrors of the war and the confusion the soldiers have in regards to what they
are trying to accomplish in Iraq, Sterling’s anger starts to make at least some
sense. I won’t give away more of the plot as the actual story is quite simple.
Again, the characters and Powers’ writing are what set The Yellow Birds apart.
John
Read-alikes: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Things They Carried
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