This book presents the captivating tale of politician John Wade.

He was ascending the political ladder at a rapid pace until his world came crashing down. It was uncovered that he had been involved in the My Lai catastrophe during the Vietnam War.

Subsequently, he fled to a secluded cabin with his wife, Kathy. However, one day, Kathy suddenly vanishes without a trace.

The mystery of what ultimately befell Kathy remains unresolved throughout the book.

I find myself in a state of indecision regarding this book. On one hand, I was intrigued by how O'Brien meticulously detailed the events in Vietnam, especially considering his own personal experience in the war.

I also appreciated the various plausible scenarios he presented for Kathy's disappearance.

On the other hand, I had an intense dislike for John Wade. In fact, I felt little sympathy for Kathy.

Even before they were married, John exhibited extremely disturbing personality traits, such as stalking her.

It is later disclosed that she was aware of this behavior all along.

Although John had a difficult upbringing with an alcoholic father and was undoubtedly haunted by the atrocities of My Lai, he still "creeped" me out even before his deployment to Vietnam.

There were several instances in the book where I seriously considered discontinuing my reading, which is highly unusual for me.

Nevertheless, I still award it three stars for the aspects that I did enjoy and for its unique storyline.

So far, I find myself both intrigued and horrified by the flashback descriptions of the war in Vietnam that are revealed through the main protagonist. It is truly hard to comprehend the depravity of the purely evil wartime actions that are so vividly depicted.

*****Finished***

That being said, the writing in this book is crisp, vivid, and chilling. The mental ravages of 'insanity killing' in the trenches echo throughout the pages. The jarring perversity of it all leaves the reader, this reader anyway, with disturbing questions.

What was real and what was a sleight of hand trick of deception and repression? How many layers of cloaked pretense can be applied before the veneer cracks, the facade peels away, and the truth falls freely to emerge appallingly heinous? How does the author present it? How does the protagonist handle it? How does the reader make sense of it all?

This is a book full of meaning and hidden meaning, multilayered, complex, raw, intense, yet coated with an ever-burning need to be accepted, recognized, and loved.

I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the human spirit's basic survival tactics under duress and what depravity and horrific events can do to the human mental functions under extreme conditions.

It is a book that will haunt you and awaken you at the same time!

I was truly disappointed in this book.

I had read The Things They Carried and adored it. I believed it dealt with the war and all the related issues flawlessly. The way the narrative looped back on itself repeatedly was both inventive and captivating.

However, in this book, it seems forced. Moreover, one could probably identify it as an O'Brien book even if his name wasn't on it. Consider the similar plot devices: a Native American soldier that the lead character served with in Vietnam? Check. The main character on a boat with the opportunity to escape to Canada for freedom? Check. A casual mention of a person blown up into the trees, similar to Curt Lemon in TTTC? Check.

Obviously, there are many differences, but there are aspects that I think could have been handled differently and more effectively. One of the finest moments in the book occurs towards the end when we discover that Wade took the time to meticulously edit himself out of the My Lai massacre before leaving Vietnam. It reveals a deliberate side of Wade that we scarcely see. This should have been alluded to more effectively. And was it just the one letter that got Wade caught? Or is there more to it? That is left unanswered.

I think O'Brien is a one trick pony.

Wowzaaa!

This is an incredibly well-crafted book. The different elements are so perfectly woven together, making it a truly satisfying read. It's all about magic tricks, and to be honest, the real magic trick is making John Wade a perfectly ambiguous character. Ugh, the writing is just so impressive.

However, a word of warning: it's *very* dark. The story delves into some deep and disturbing themes that might not be for the faint of heart. But if you're looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you think, this is definitely it.

The author has done an amazing job of creating a world that is both fascinating and terrifying, and the characters are so well-developed that you can't help but become invested in their stories. Overall, this is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery or thriller.

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I have a general aversion to novels about war. The very mention of it often makes me reluctant to engage. However, on one occasion, I came across a book at a Goodwill. Its cover design was interesting enough to catch my eye. But when I saw the words "Vietnam War" on the back cover, my initial reaction was to put it down immediately.

Yet, I was intrigued by the numerous glowing reviews it had received. Against my better judgment, I decided to give it a chance. And boy, am I glad I did! I discovered that I would now gladly read any book written by Tim O'Brien, regardless of the topic.

From the very opening lines, Mr. O'Brien masterfully creates an atmosphere of foreboding and impending horror. His language, though spare, is remarkably poetic. The story unfolds slowly, like a captivating mystery. It is about a popular politician who has lost a significant election due to the revelation of his involvement in the My Lai massacre. His almost complete denial of his role in this horror serves to illustrate the utter mutability of truth in memory. We see how easily we can choose to revise history, whether it be our own personal history or that of a nation. Just like the boyhood magician seeking his father's approval, he develops a talent for making things conveniently disappear. Even his disillusioned wife adds another layer of mystery. She has either been murdered or, according to an alternative version presented, has simply drifted away, despairing, into the ether.

This book is truly a remarkable piece of work. It is disturbing, yet heartfelt. The writing is beautiful, and it is deeply moving. It most definitely rates a full five stars.

Haunting is the essence of this story. Amidst the fleeting wisps of the horror and depravity of the Vietnam war, there are glimpses of clarity that surface. When John and Kath go to escape in the yellow cabin on the shore of the vast lake in the woods, a sense of tranquility seems to wash over them. However, the memories of the war still linger, like a shadow that cannot be shaken off.

Tim O'Brien's delivery of the gut-wrenching details and aftermath of My Lai is truly chilling. It makes the reader feel as if they are there, witnessing the atrocities firsthand. The descriptions are so vivid that they stay with you long after you have finished reading. The story serves as a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and the lasting impact it has on those who experience it.

Despite the darkness and despair, there is also a glimmer of hope. The relationship between John and Kath provides a source of comfort and strength in the midst of the chaos. Their love for each other is a testament to the human spirit's ability to endure and overcome even the most difficult of circumstances.

Phenomenal.

It is a remarkable novel that delves into a plethora of complex themes such as love, evil, obsession, memory, guilt, complicity, and the near impossibility of truly understanding someone who desires not to be known. However, above all else, it is O'Brien's valiant attempt to grapple with the My Lai Massacre.

He crafts an obsessed narrator who cannot let go of the mysterious disappearance of Kathleen Wade. Her husband, John, was humiliated in a Senatorial campaign when his meticulous efforts to cover up his role in the slaughter of a village of Vietnamese civilians failed.

The narrator recounts the Wades' story in three distinct ways. Firstly, through "reliable" accounts of their life together, based on thorough research. Secondly, via hypothetical projections of what might have befallen Kathleen. And thirdly, through transcriptions from what amounts to a research notebook, which includes quotes from interviews, real-life excerpts from the testimony of the soldiers of Charlie Company, quotes from literature, lines from biographies of Nixon and Woodrow Wilson, and a few lines from the last letter of Ambrose Bierce, among others.

Regrettably, none of these approaches yield the desired results. As a consequence, the narrator resorts to personal footnotes that, while clarifying his struggle, further muddle his attempts.

Wade was a magician, and although he couldn't make the My Lai Massacre disappear, he might very well have made his wife vanish. Or perhaps not. His own memory is so unreliable that even he himself doesn't know for sure.

Our narrator, then, faces an insurmountable task - to write with authority about an unsolvable mystery. Of course, this is precisely what O'Brien is up to as he endeavors to make sense of senseless violence and evil.

It is all masterfully managed, and it achieves exactly what O'Brien intends - it sits in my stomach like a stone. It has been quite some time since I was this profoundly impressed by a book.

Going to lay this review out in two parts:

(1) The structure and writing of this work are truly remarkable. I loved the way it was written. The seamless back and forth between Wade and Kathy’s love story, Wade’s childhood, the events in Vietnam, and the “evidence” creates a captivating narrative flow. The writing itself is of a high caliber. It just seems to flow effortlessly, with a great deal of sentence variety that keeps the reader engaged.

(2) However, I’m less sold on the story. It requires more thought and consideration. At its core, it’s really a story of trauma, and this trauma is intergenerational, persisting and affecting those around. It’s also a story that delves into the realms of politics and theatre. It offers a sort of psychological examination of politicians in a way that I’ve never before considered. Their entire lives are centered around what others think, constantly seeking acceptance and fearing rejection from the ignorant masses. It must be an incredibly lonely existence. After reading this, I now have a desire to read some works by Caro to gain further insights.

I truly respect the concept presented here, which posits that there are no definitive answers regarding what reality is, and that there is an inherent mystery at the core of existence. I am not one of those mystery enthusiasts who would be disappointed by the absence of a solution. However, the author makes it abundantly clear right from the start that the mystery will not be resolved, even going so far as to state that if you seek answers, you should read a different book. What's more, this message is driven home explicitly countless times (mostly through irritating footnotes that directly address the reader in the author's voice), to the point where it becomes tiresome. The endless circling through all the layers of flashbacks fails to uncover many new and profound insights, thereby rendering the remainder of the book a rather pointless endeavor.

**Expanded Article**

The dialogue between D and R is truly captivating. D: «Lei ha obbedito agli ordini ricevuti?».
R: «Sì».
D: «Quali erano questi ordini?».
R: «Di uccidere ogni essere vivente». This form makes the narrative unique. We are presented with a non-omniscient narrator who makes suppositions about the present and past of the two protagonists, John and Kathy. We only know certain things about them, the obvious or public aspects. The rest remains a mystery. After the severe electoral defeat, John and Katy retreat to a cottage on the lake in Minnesota to recover and find themselves. The reason for the electoral defeat can be traced back to the fact that John was responsible for war crimes during the Vietnam War. John is a complex character. He is the wizard, the boy bullied by his father, the executor of magic, the orphaned boy whose father committed suicide, the man in love with Kathy, and the one who makes things disappear that don't satisfy him or of which he is ashamed. Kathy, on the other hand, sometimes disappears to survive and endure the fate that life has dealt her. \\"Le scelte ci si aprono avanti come un tunnel, e noi sbuchiamo dove sbuca il tunnel.\\" This is a truly surprising (and at times terrifying) read.

I almost passed on this book. After having read three of O'Brien's Vietnam War works, I had begun to feel that there was too much lacking in them. This was especially true of The Things They Carried and Going After Caccioto, where his obsession with experiments in form ended up being clumsy and heavy-handed. Then, I found that If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home was insightful and challenging in its own way. But in all three books, O'Brien nevertheless seemed not to understand Southeast Asia. Worse, he didn't even seem to understand that he didn't understand Southeast Asia. Something of an irritation with works centered on the Vietnam War.

However, with In the Lake of the Woods, this "fault" seems to work in his favor. All the atmosphere, setting, and feel absent from his descriptions of Southeast Asia only highlight the vividness of his world back home, back in Minnesota. Especially in the wilderness of its lakes and islands on the cusp of autumn. This is the world that Vietnam shattered, not only for John Wade but for a generation of soldiers, particularly those who were in combat during Vietnam. It's a telling that demonstrates how memory has been severed from itself. All the iterations of John and Kath's story depict that - the constant reveals and re-reveals. And, here, O'Brien's obsessions with shifting perspectives, disrupted timelines, flashbacks and flash forwards all work to perfection. It all comes together in this novel.

For Wade, Vietnam is a dream, a nightmare, an hallucination. And maybe that is, or was, true for the entire country. By 1994, when In the Lake of the Woods was published, the great Vietnam War cycle of films, literature, and television programs was over. A new set of wars in the Middle East were just pushing themselves into the forefront of the American consciousness. And the digital age online was just beginning. In that regard, In the Lake of the Woods has turned out to be visionary. The shock and fragmentation of the war in Southeast Asia on soldiers was about to be applied in a milder, albeit more unrelenting and pervasive, assault upon all the golden dreams of youth and a stable America of the pre-1960s that O'Brien seems to yearn for so often. Yet if In the Lake of the Woods tells us anything it is that all memories, all iterations, are just as real as they are a fantasy. Is there a difference? Isn't fantasy, in fact, real? Don't we really fantasize? If memory is all there is to help determine a difference, how can you ever tell?