Fives and Twenty-Fives

by Michael Pitre

It is the early months of the Arab Spring, 2011. But for three young men, two American and one Iraqi, their minds return again and again to 2006, to the bloodiest stretch of the Iraq War, when they were members of the same platoon tasked with the dangerous work of repairing potholes on the roads of Al Anbar Province. They have survived the war, but now they must learn how to live with themselves.

Genres: Fiction, War, Military Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Middle East

400 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2014

Reviews

[Edwardjd3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure - Served in Marines with Author.

Fives and Twenty-Fives is a conscientious modern war novel that accurately portrays the sacrifices young people give for their country and their struggle to cope. Pitre’s writing style is crafty and empathetic. His story-telling keeps you turning pages to learn more about the characters experiences during and after “The Long War.”

The characters in the novel express love of country and duty, but there is bitterness over giving everything for a cause that may or may not be justified. Deploying again and again and again wears you down to the bone. The Marines are not blind or bloodthirsty as in “Jarhead.” Like those who served with me, they are intelligent and aware, though flawed.

The strength of this war novel is Pitre’s depiction of the real fight for veterans, assimilating back into normal life - developing careers and relationships while living with the experiences of war. There's a disconnect between their peers who did not serve, as awkward as a high school “new kid in town movie.” As a veteran of OIF/OEF, this novel is a voice for many of us who slowly had to piece our lives back together, back to normal.

You’re looking at the future of 21st Century warfare in this novel where all sides are human, all sides have a voice. Most regional and tribal conflicts of the future will be a complex mix of cultures filled with shades of grey. As current events suggest, in many ways, American Marines and Soldiers were just another tribe in a never-ending Middle East tribal war, one that could never be "won or lost" in a traditional sense. Those back home who still think foreign policy is black and white don’t understand the complexity of the new world quite like the veteran who has experienced it in sweat and blood and time.

[Snotchocheez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgive my comparison of this with the 2014 National Book Award-winner Redeployment. Both books are eloquent, visceral, fictional accounts of soldiers' lives during the Iraq War, both on the battlefield and after they come home from their tours of duty. My vote for the most accessible and enthralling of the two works, though, easily goes to Michael Pitre's Fives and Twenty-Fives.

I liked Redeployment plenty, though I did have a few issues with it, mostly stemming from Klay's decision to present his work in short story format. It did provide indelible snapshots of the war experience, but we're never quite allowed a connection with his characters. Each time we start feeling anything for them (good or bad) *blam* the story ends and another begins. It provides a broad overview, but conversely serves as an arms-distancer from forming emotional ties and intuiting soldier mind-sets. Also, of the thousands of women who served in Iraq, their near-absence in Klay's book is.curious, and notably felt.

Pitre remedies that by zeroing in on one unit of the Marines: an Engineering cadre focused on filling potholes. (Totally unglamorous-sounding, yet as essential as any elite infantry unit: each pothole they encounter invariably contains a bomb or other IED that needs to be extracted and defused, and the pothole filled with concrete all whilst wearing body armor in 110 degree desert heat, with constant threat of ambush, all so that each convoy of tanks and humvees and personnel carriers can advance to their next engagement.) The novel's narrative rotates among three first-person POVs: Pete Donovan, Alabama boy, Tulane MBA candidate, and lieutenant-leader of the unit in question, with very serious doubts as to the efficacy of his role in Iraq; Lester 'Doc' Pleasant, a 19 year-old medic from the bayous of Louisiana, who seems very overwhelmed by his role as trauma-tender (God, who wouldn't be?); and (in a stroke of genius) "Dodge", or Kateb, Iraqi university student with a penchant for bad American hair bands and Huckleberry Finn, who is essentially swept off the street and conscripted to terp (interpreter) duty for the unit. Their stories, along with some strong supporting characters (particularly a pivotal Sergeant Michelle Gomez, a Tejana badass) provide ample opportunity to make a personal connection and get a more vivid inside look at what life was like as a soldier there.

Uncompromisingly brutal, but hardly one-note (thanks to the post-war stories of the three main characters), Fives and Twenty-Fives provides an unflinching look at life during wartime in "the cradle of civilization". Highly recommended (if not even essential) read.

[Dave Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of this book. I recently separated from the Marines and was in Iraq during the time the book is set. In fact, I was on the same base - Al Taqaddum. I have to admit, reading a work of fiction about that was quite strange. I was a helicopter pilot on the base and was actually just down the road from the road repair crew. As far as authenticity goes - he nails it. The descriptions of the landscapes, the smells, the bureaucracy, and the varied personalities you meet in the Marines brought back quite a few memories (good and bad). The realism of the characters and settings make it very easy to see these characters as real people living out their lives, and not just characters in a story. At some points it's almost like reading a non-fiction account. No matter who you are, the story is accessible and well written.

As for the story itself, I really like the way it was framed. The book takes place present day with each chapter following a different character - a former platoon commander, his medic, and his translator. In each chapter, the characters flash back to their shared time in Iraq. As the story goes on, you start to see the mysteries of what happened to these characters unravel. It's addictive. Every chapter presents you with questions that get slowly answered through the book. I burned through the book in two days - and that's only because I had to go to sleep on day one. The story starts with Pete Donovan - a former officer, Lester Pleasant - a former corpsman, and 'Dodge' - a former translator in their present day lives. Pete and Lester are both living in Louisiana, one in school and the other living at home, while Dodge is in Tunisia during the beginning stages of their revolution. Through the story, their shared past gets slowly revealed as they make their way through their present day lives. You begin to see how what they did makes them who they are and that element of the story is what made the book so exciting for me.

Since I actually am a former officer, I instantly related to the main character. Well, I say he's the main character, the story is actually the 'main character' with each of the individuals acting as supporting characters - but I digress. The post-service funk that overtakes many veterans is described incredibly. I saw myself in several of those vignettes which was sometimes hard to admit. His struggle with wanting to fade into the background and forget what he did struck a chord. For those not familiar with a post-war life, it gives a great view into the mindset many veterans find themselves in. The stories of Lester and Dodge are similarly remarkable and their characters are incredibly well-written. I felt like they could be real people I could actually meet. I found myself getting excited at the end of each chapter to get back to each character's life.

In short, you will not be disappointed in this book. No matter your own personal history, you will find the characters relatable and real. Their actions will frustrate and surprise you throughout. If you're unsure about the book, crack the front page at the bookstore and you'll be hooked. Highly recommended - a must read.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest and significant work highlighting those who served in the Iraqi war, their motivations for joining, their fears and their struggles trying to assimilate back into a normal life. It is narrated by three different men, the most interesting to me was Dodge, the Iraqi interpreter.
During the war these three men were part of a crew that filled in Iraqi potholes, where every pothole had a bomb that needed to be detonated. All the characters were complex and the description were very detailed. Also love the introduction of Huck Finn and the meanings found within the text.

The author was a Marine captain and this added authenticity to the storyline and peaked my interest in this accounting of a war I only knew from the television and newspaper accounts. Wonderfully written, honest and raw.

ARC from NetGalley.

[Burninglemur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an early copy of this.

Thomas Barnett seemed to relish saying, in his “two armies” talks, that he likes his fighting force “young, male, unmarried, and slightly pissed off.” This is a book about what happens to the young and pissed off when they are at war, and how they return.

Each of the characters’ frustrations erupt from their struggle to understand the world and how it works, and each, in their own way, decides to do something. That’s what the young and pissed off do - they see things that they don’t like, and they do something. And they get rolled. Hard.

There are two main timelines in play, roughly anchored to when each of the characters first gets the slap in the face that comes with “doing something,” and when they each return to “normal” and do some serious reckoning about the other cheek.

Despite their push and talent, each character learns that they are ultimately powerless to shape the world around them to their expectations. One learns how little his officer’s rank has to do with his capabilities. One learns that no matter how fast and talented he is at fixing people, his work happens after the fact. One learns that the world doesn’t run on intellect and empathy. Slap. Slap. Slap. And then, each is left in something different than the world they left - something perhaps further from their ideal - and they have to decide what to do with their impotence, if not their lives.

Read this. Read it and laugh, and cry, and throw it across the room. Read parts of it aloud to curious people in the bar. Read it and wonder what happened to who you used to be.

Read it and think about sending the young and pissed off to war.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book, and it was so well done. When the characters got choked up so did I. When they were excited, I was excited.
The writing was so authentic. The honesty of the story really came across. From the heartbreaking and grueling conditions of war to the unfair and cruel reality coming home, these character's stories really pulled at my heart.
I loved reading both the perspectives of the Marines and of Kateb. I think I looked forward to Kateb's chapters most of all.
I did not want this book to end.
I definitely highly recommend this book.

[thewanderingjew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is destined to become the quintessential novel about the Iraq war, in much the same way as Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” has become the go-to book about the Viet Nam war experience. Each character is unique and brings with him stories which create real time experiences for the reader. The tale travels between the past and the present and tells the story of who they were when they entered the service and who they became when they departed. The reader will experience an array of emotions with the characters, they will do what they do, feel their reactions to their assignments, sometimes lacking reason or responsibility, touch their fear, their horror, their anger, their frustrations, their courage, their confusion, their successes and failures. The anecdotal tales and the conversations between characters will bring them to life and bring home the story of the Iraq war, and even other wars, where friends and family become enemies of each other, dedicated to opposite sides and causes, no longer able to communicate with each other as they once did, no longer sharing the same common goals. This war, however, is different, in its own way, and these are not infantrymen, but each and every one of them is damaged in some way by their service.
Michael Pitre, served two terms in Iraq and his book seems to be written from the experience of his conscience. It is told from the point of view of three characters: Lieutenant Pete Donovan, a graduate of Officer Candidate School, Kateb al-Hariri, an interpreter from a well-to-do family in league with Saddam Hussein, and Hospitalman Lester Pleasant, a natural born medic, looking for opportunity outside the small town life of his childhood.
Pete Donovan is the Lieutenant in charge of a platoon charged with the responsibility of filling potholes, following the rule of fives and twenty-fives when checking them for IED’s, securing the surrounding area to protect his soldiers and soldiers advancing toward them while they fill in the potholes to prevent them from being used again. The most important part of the job is to do it quickly because sitting in one place too long makes them all sitting ducks. Missing one will make the oncoming soldiers unwitting victims of the explosions. It was difficult to know exactly who was the enemy. They lurked quietly on roadsides, looked innocent, pretended ignorance, and yet they sneaked in at night and planted bombs under curbstones, in potholes, in cracks in the road, under trash, anyplace a bomb-like weapon could hide. Sometimes the explosion was the precursor of an ambush so they had to be very careful and attentive at all times. Although it does not sound like they were involved in ongoing battles, they were indeed involved in action and a form of combat. It is in the area of fives and twenty-fives that their lives were often lost. It was a harrowing endeavor to clear the area. Donovan is deeply effected by the hypocrisy and irresponsibility of those in charge, by their haphazard decisions which do not take safety into consideration at all, but simply are moved by the politics of war.
Lester Pleasant is the medic in charge of taking care of the injured. He was born to the job, does it well and enjoys helping the soldiers to survive. When he witnesses the horrific, nightmarish injuries to men he could do nothing for, his life is forever changed. His job enables him to abuse drugs and he uses them to escape from the nightmares that often visit his sleep.
Kateb al-Hariri, the Arab spokesperson, the terp known as Dodge, was a student working on his thesis on Huckleberry Finn and poignant quotes from the book introduce each chapter. His family worked for Saddam Hussein. He enjoys American music and literature. He wants to help the Americans, but this means he also betrays his own family and friends. In turn, the Americans reward his bravery by betraying him and his service and failing to help him leave a country that only has enemies against him now. He finds himself an exile in Tunisia, at the end of the book, and he is somewhat of a freedom fighter, once again, only this time he is the English spokesperson for self-styled, young, freedom fighters there. They believe they are also fighting what they see as an unfair despotic government.
The heroes and the villains often view themselves in warped mirrors. The hero views a villain in his glass, unable to accept the praise, and the villain views himself as a savior, eagerly accepting undeserved honor.
I believe that Pitre has brought home the war experience for the reader so they can view the soldiers and their interactions, the brave and the damaged, the injured and the dead and understand the failures that have often resulted from inept handling of strategy and deployment of soldiers to specific areas in a war zone, understand and perhaps bring about positive change to correct and prevent additional, unnecessary, perspective catastrophes.
Besides the main characters, there are several minor ones who play important roles. One is the female Sergeant Michelle Gomez, a little larger than life. Another is Major Leighton who thoughtlessly, perhaps, sends the men on missions that are not well thought out but is charged with doing it and then with rewarding or punishing them according to a book or rules that should probably be abandoned. Another is Corporal Zahn who sustains a head injury and is basically treated without proper medical care or assessment. Then there is the beloved Gunny Stout, a man whose bravery and casual disregard for regulations placed him in even greater danger. Each of the characters had a different approach and perspective on the war that affected their behavior. They were all young and, perhaps, a little naïve and idealistic, at first. This soon changed as they learned to master their job, their environment and their lives., but to a man and woman, after Iraq, there was no real returning to the life they once had, they had been forever altered, forever changed and could not go back.
The horrors of war, the emotions of the fellow soldiers, the enemies coldness, the mistrust and the fear are so palpable that the reader will be upset more often than not, and yet, this story must be told. Each side believes they are fighting for the just cause. Who decides who is right? Who decides the winner? Does might make right?
The soldiers are not machines, they breathe, feel, move about and are effected in many ways by what they experience, and we who sit in our ivory towers ignoring them are making a mistake and not learning from history. We allow them to be sent out on missions that are not well planned, with equipment that is inferior to what they require and without regard to their safety while in service or their healthy return to life outside the military. They return with so much baggage, it is hard for them to let go and live a normal life without some help and guidance. Their scars need time to heal and not all are visible. If nothing else, this novel points out the absolute futility of war. It is never ending in one form or another but it takes on a life of its own. There are always different sides, different opinions, and different despots willing to take over and rule. So long as human beings fail at diplomacy, fail to live with, come to terms with, understand and tolerate different cultures, religions, and races, conflict will continue to exist and lives will continue to be lost in the fog of war.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** I received this from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.***

War books fascinate me. Sometimes it's the history, sometimes it's the weapons and warfare and tactics, but mostly, it's the people. I enjoy reading about the trauma, the aftermath of a country, the losers (because no on really wins, do they?), their personal reasons for fighting, and whether they think the cause it's worthy. It's especially evident in a well-written fictional novel such as this.

Everyone should read at least one of these in his or her lifetime. It provides a vast amount of insight into the human psyche.

I've never been in a war myself, but I think this is a vivid and heartfelt account of a conflict that has multiple sides. It is raw and honest, and the reader clearly sees the soldiers inner struggles as the go about their duties.

Brilliantly done is the subtly in the gestures and the reasoning of the soldiers and the underlying mood this creates. Throughout the novel, I feel as if the characters and society itself is wondering in a daze like a well-ordered ant colony until something shakes them up. Maybe it's just me, but suddenly there's an awkwardness that makes things pause and think "geeze, was it really a good idea to send these kids to war?"

What I would have liked is more interaction between the soldiers and the civilians they meet.

Overall, great book.

[David Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the bookmarks I place in my Little Free Library bears these words of Ernest Hemingway: "All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you; the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was."

How the weather is in this book: it redefines the landscape because it is military weather, and it redefines trust and engagement among human beings because it is Anbar Province weather in 2006. At every moment in these linked narratives, the weather is arid and defeating, a constant flow of heat and futility. But in this miasma, people find their lives through the charges they are given and the losses they endure, because they have nothing else. No victories make enough difference to clear the air or spread the conviction of good or useful purposes.

It is a brilliant novel, the best about Iraq I have read. As in Redeployment by Phil Klay, a less accomplished but no less moving story collection with events based Anbar Province, the weather does not change. There is no clarity; nothing like reflection, only procedure; sacrifice that is not service, even for those fortunate ones who come home.

[Booknblues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fives and Twenty-Fives
By Michael Pitre
5 stars
401pp
Publication date: 2014

Having just finished Fives and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre, I want to continue reading about Dodge, Doc and Donovan. I don't want to let them go. I want to know that they will be alright. That things will get better. That Dodge will be happy with a pretty girl in Tunisia and that they will all find a purpose and reason for what they did and a way to live with it. I think also of Zahn and how he tried to make everything right and the brave, tough and beautiful Sergeant Gomez.

We often hear about the disconnect that returning veterans feel and their sense of isolation, and certainly Michael Pitre highlights this feeling in Fives and Twenty-Fives, but each of his characters has been drawn with care. Each member of the road repair platoon lives with a feeling of isolation, Donovan as a lieutenant will never be quite a full-fledged member of the platoon and as Dodge tells him his rank is translated as unnecessary in Arabic, Doc the medic, has always been treated as hick until he excelled and medical training and technique and now he feels an overwhelming obligation to the platoon and Dodge, a good and sturdy vehicle has lost his name and turned his back on his Iraqi family while finding solace in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Pitre shifts his novel between each of these characters with each section beginning with a document from the characters past. The novel shifts between the present and stories from Iraq. The platoon is a road repair one requiring them to repair potholes. The access the perimeter 5 meters out to be sure that it is safe before exiting vehicle and then twenty-five meters out to be sure they will be safe. An armored member is sent to look at the pothole which each and every time contains an IED and than the robots are sent to disarm them.

Pitre's gift of storytelling and characterization engages the reader in caring for Donovan, Doc and Dodge. He certainly builds a sense of the bleakness of Iraq during the war and the shifting forces within it. Early in the novel one of the characters says:
Those spots where blood soaks in? Right into the dirt? Plants always grow there. I never knew that before. We’d convoy by the same places all the time, and all those places where I knew there’d been a lot of blood? Sure enough: green, healthy plants.

I was deeply moved by this book. I found it to be very human and very engaging.

[Naeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because my concerns are more with the people and the culture of the occupied country than with the US soldiers themselves, I have a problem with reading war novels by USians. That is why, last summer, I read 7 or 8 novels by Iraqi authors. Having banked those, I allowed myself to read this novel. I was wary and ready to put it down with the first offense.

But Pitre surprised me for two reasons. I will get to those. First, let me get my negative out of the way. He ends the book in the right and the wrong way. Right because the ending is told from the point of view of an Iraqi. Wrong because it feels like an ode to freedom or democracy or some such silly fantasy.

Now let me turn to why I think Pitre's is a surprising novel. The problem for a USian is how to tell the story of war without the people, culture, and topography of the occupied country serving as mere props. Pitre solves this problem in two ways. He makes an Iraqi translator, named "Dodge", a central figure. Perhaps the most important figure; and certainly the smartest character. This move has two very good effects: it forces the reader into an Iraqi point of view; and, it places the reader in two minds about Iraqi translators. One the one hand, they provide the "insider" eyes that the novel so badly needs. On the other hand, this insider is a traitor to the resistance against the US occupation. Pitre never makes this tension explicit but uses it to bend the reader's sensibilities.

The second excellent element is that the novel is about the mundane and not about the dramatic or heroic. All the characters are part of a US team whose function is to fix Iraqi roads after they have either been carved up to set bombs or after those bombs have exploded. The precise details required to fix roads -- the necessary coordination, the speed at which everything must be done, the anticipation required to defuse traps set by the Iraqis -- this is the medium through which Pitre tells his story.

What makes this novel palatable is Pitre's sympathy with people and the culture his nation's soldiers occupy. What makes the novel worthwhile is what we learn about the everyday conditions that make up contemporary Iraq.

Another bonus: Pitre shows no love to the Blackwater types.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this book for one of the libraries I work at because of the editorial reviews. After it was processed, I noticed it was on the shelf. Looking for a new read, I'm often disappointed when searching for that one book that is going be my new, great find. I looked at the cover, did a quick scan of the flap and put it back. I wasn't in the mood for something that was going to tear my heart apart. But, then my curiosity drew me back again. We as a nation are interested and have empathy for our returning soldiers even if we have mistrust with the policies of our nation that put them "over there" in the first place. I started the book ready to put it down again, but this time by starting the 1st chapter - it was strong enough to pull me into the story. Within a few pages I was so happy that I finally had found my next book to recommend to our patrons. I ordered another copy for my other library, and then downloaded another copy for my kindle so I could read it at night. This is how much faith I had in the writing skills of the author and I was never disappointed in his ability to tell this very important story. As other reviewers have remarked, the story of the Iraqi interpreter is the highlight of the book. Through the character of this educated, young man who is fascinated with American culture enough to write his university thesis on Huck Finn, we see the fragile infrastructure of the war torn nation and the complications that can barely be understood. The things I'll "warn" my patrons about is that it does change characters every chapter. It works in this case because really there are only 3 main characters that this story is told through, each in their own lives now and then memories of their time in Iraq where they are all connected through their Marine Corps platoon. It is never confusing as you always know who is telling the story right from the front of each new chapter. This book will stay with me for a long time as will the characters long after the book makes it back to the shelves. It will remain on our recommended reads list at the libraries for the foreseeable future.

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure - Knows author, read advance copy

Don't shy away from this book if you're put off by war stories. The writing is open wide yet tender, and unflinching in the up close and visceral. It makes the day to day happenings of being a modern soldier necessarily tangible, especially for those of us who have no idea just how specific that is. But it then transcends so far beyond the experience that you're left gaping at how good intent, failed leadership, undue guilt, integrity and inertia can possibly exist at such war within a person without utterly destroying them. It's everything you always wanted to ask a soldier but knew you never could.

Each character goes to Iraq bolstered on an ideal and a need for acting on it that in turn undoes them. It's all basically the answer to Frodo's question at the end of The Return of the King “How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart, you begin to understand, there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep...that have taken hold.” Some hope does take hold. But so does damage. This novel is wise, heartbreaking, full of unexpected chuckles, and there's a sweet nudge of romance that reminds us of the glimmering threads that are worth fighting to pick up again. To wit, I love the character of Dodge so much, and everything that made him who and what he is. He is the link between east and west, past and future, wartime and civilian return. And he's charming as hell.

Read it for him to start, and then think about everyone else we're sending into these impossible lives.

[Loleh · Rating 3 out of 5]

PTSD & War are invariably complex and cannot be separated from the individuals who have experienced both. Pitre offers us a novel with a rare glimpse into war perspectives without giving one perspective more importance over another. Doc Pleasant, Leuteniant Donovan, Sergeant Gomez... many names, many stories, many outcomes. There is a high degree of authenticity involved. Pitre has a genuine writing style and serves us well-developed characters which can stand as characters on their own. The present narrative is thorough, interrupted by flashbacks from the past which linger around us, waiting to ruin our momentary sense of security. All characters in this novel are haunted by their memories from the war. This is in many instances evident when they attempt to enjoy everyday pleasures of life, suddenly find themselves delivering explanations and observations that confirm that their mind is still stuck in a war zone, a state of mind which stays with them long after they have left the war zone. As the reader you learn significant detail about life through the eyes of a soldier as well as gather knowledge about strategical moves. Above all, this novel confirms the senseless loss of war. in this novel, the soldiers fight in Iraq but wherever a war is fought, regardless who the soldier and who the civilian is, the fight is pointless. It is loss on both sides, not simply physical loss but psychological damage too. War is damaging people. All that can be expected is loss and no amount of self-talk can change that. This is the message of the novel for me.

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows three men that are part of the same platoon. Two men (Pete and Lester) are soldiers. Pete is a lieutenant that has to prove himself, as much to his men as to himself, that he is worthy of his rank. Doc (Lester) is only nineteen years old and knows saving people is his calling; he is a natural. The last man is Dodge. He is an Iraqi national and he is the interpreter.


Dodge, before the war occurs, is an English student. He carries with him a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His chapters contain quotes from Finn that are brilliantly tied into the action of the novel. It is a clever use of quotes. Pitre uses Dodge's character to help us to understand the politics of Iraq, of religion and of family. And even now I'm not sure I fully understand, but I have a clearer understanding of how fractured it all has become.

We come to understand how all of these men are affected by the war. We get all of the back story of how these men came to be where they are today and how they are fairing (not so well it seems). This book brought me to tears more than once because the men and women it portrays are not brought to emotion so easily. My heart broke each time a character had a cathartic moment (thus the tears).

[Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best military novels I've ever read. The story flowed so perfectly between the characters with their accounts being in the present, the past, and all overlapping. Everything about this story just felt real and was so vivid.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb novel of the Iraq war. I read a lot of combat memoirs and novels. I think it's because, despite knowing better intellectually, there is a little-boy part of me who feels that, never having served in the military, I've missed some essential rite of passage. While it goes against every belief I hold that I'm willing to admit to publicly, there is an atavistic part of me convinced that the essence of real manhood is enduring extreme physical discomfort while killing other men. Reading The Things They Carried or The Naked and the Dead gives me gratitude about the ease of a life I'm inclined, unjustifiably, to complain about, but it also lets me fantasize about an ideal me who transcends the physical and moral limitations of my safe, circumscribed peacetime self. My inner Sgt. Croft, like the character in the book and most decidedly unlike me, is hard as nails and without fear. He's the baddest motherfucker in the Valley, as the flak jackets used to say, and that makes him a man.
I think what I loved most about this book was the way it recognized all my combat novel expectations and then proceeded to subvert them. Fives and Twenty-fives depicts warfare that has changed utterly in the intervening half-century since the publication of The Naked and the Dead, while remaining exactly the same. The Marines in Pitre's novel aren't sweltering in muddy, noisome foxholes or boasting about 'greasing Nips.' They sleep in air conditioned hootches and they're subject to sanctions for culturally insensitive behavior. Their road-repair work filling in booby-trapped bomb craters is difficult, dangerous, and agonizingly stressful, but there is no scope for gung ho combat heroics. They are led, like Mailer's grunts, by an omnicompetent badass with 'motivation to spare' and a 'voice [that] could break bones.' This consummate warrior, though is no paragon of manliness. Sgt. Michelle Gomez, we are told, has "[s]hiny black hair smooth as a feather," and she's the baddest protective mother hen in the Valley. Perhaps the biggest change is that the infantrymen on Anopopei, despite all the ugly things they say and do over the course of the novel, know that they're the good guys. The Anbar Marines can take no such satisfaction.
All of this made Fives and Twenty-fives more 'relatable,' as the kids say. Reading classic combat narratives is, for me, in some ways like reading Homer - it's so removed from my experience that I have a hard time believing it. I know that the horrors of Peleliu and the Ardennes actually happened, but the suffering is SO terrible it all seems unreal and abstracted. Mythical. Heroic. Tragic. Whereas Fives and Twenty-fives felt pathetic. Heartbreaking, but without grandeur. All the devastation without the flags and bugles. In a more conventional book about an earlier war, Gomez, hit by enemy fire, would have died nobly and a little enviably. There's nothing enviable about the helpless vegetable whom we encounter, thanks to modern medicine and Pitre's disciplined rejection of cheap, patriotic sentimentality, at the end of this splendid novel.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to review this excellent book, except to say something unhelpful like “It's excellent”. The book is fiction, of course, but since the book was written while the author, an Iraq War veteran, was studying in New Orleans and is about an Iraq War veteran who is studying in New Orleans, it's hard not to conclude that the book is an attempt to put his war experience into a form that is more easily understandable by others (and, possibly, himself). It has certainly accomplished this worthwhile goal. Plus, it's written in a spare and clear manner, which sounds perhaps like faint praise but is meant as high praise.

The hero is always in the situation where he is the most-correctly-behaving last good man in the area. Maybe that might get on some reader's nerves, but in this case I felt the author should be given a break. Most everyone else in this novel is, at best, well-meaning, but often less than well-meaning, especially all of the civilians but also many of his military higher-ups. In one situation, the hero loses his temper at a celebration when some drunken young people set off fireworks near some children. He is then, he feels, treated like sometime of dangerous lunatic by his friends and others for the loss of temper. No one seems to agree with him that drunkards putting children in danger is a bad idea. What was I supposed to make of this? Are people really such idiots? Or does the soldier, suffering from post-service emotional distress, fail to see that at least some people agree with him? I couldn't tell – perhaps that's my shortcoming.

That's all about the book. I'd like to make a short observation about the behavior of the certain bookish critics who sometimes manifest themselves here on Goodreads. It seems that any author or review who expresses an opinion criticizing the soldier ethic or experience, especially in the context of America's recent actions in the Middle East, is likely to get one or more critical response to the opinion – fair enough, it's an exercise in free expression. However, these opinions follow a certain pattern. It is: If you are an author like this one, you get a one-star review. If you follow the link to the reviewers' profile, you find that the reviewers' newly-established profile is set to private, and there is a single review – the one you've just read. Comments here on Goodreads sometimes get the same treatment. It's strange to think that reviewers feel they must cloak themselves in anonymity by setting up a separate private account, presumably with an newly-chosen email (mandatory to establish a Goodreads account, if memory serves) just to state this point of view, or any point of view, for that matter. On the other hand, there could be multiple non-members of Goodreads, browsing reviews, who come onto a review (or comment) that offends them so much that they feel they must, for the first time, set up an account and write an opinion, after which they never are moved to write another one, or even list another book as “read” or “to read”. That doesn't seem right, but it's possible. Anyway, no great conclusion to this observation – just wanted to note that it happens.

[Siobhan Fallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am feeling a little abashed about not having read Five & Twenty-Fives sooner, but you know how it is, a new book hits your radar, you mean to read it, then there is another new book, and another, and sometimes the truly spectacular ones end up waiting for too long. And when you finally get to them you want to smack yourself for not having had put down everything on their pub day. Well, Five & Twenty-Fives is that book, and I am angry with myself that I let more than a year go by in ignorance of it's pure spectacularness.
There are some very fine books out there that fall under 'contemporary modern war literature'-- a genre that seems to be growing every day (which is definitely a good thing, and I applaud the readers and writers tackling this subject). Lately there have been some grumblings both in the modern war lit 'community' and those who like to criticize it, people asking to hear less about the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more from the local nationals who have been there all along.
Michael Pitre has checked that block. His Iraqi interpreter character, "Dodge" is one of the most compelling, fully-fleshed characters I have ever read. Every time he acted, every time he opened his mouth, I laughed out loud or winced or just had to put down the novel and think about the sinuous implications. This is the story we have been waiting to read, the Sunni upper middle class university student who finds himself working for the Americans, balancing his own runaway past with his infidel-aiding present and spokesman for the Arab Spring future.
You should read Five & Twenty-Fives because it is a terrific novel, great tension through-out, strong characters, believable plot and motivations every step of the way. You will remember Five & Twenty-Fives because of the character Dodge, who rears off the page and makes you see the conflict in Iraq in all its terrifyingly tangled, but most of all simply human, ways.

[Lorilin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book start to finish. It wasn't a devastatingly emotional read, but I felt deeply invested in it, invested in its characters. I grew to care about these soldiers, and, of course, I wanted them to make it out okay. I wanted them to be whole, functioning, and (at least somewhat) happy people when they completed their service--and I was upset when not all of them were.

As much as I loved the people, they actually weren't the driving force of the book. I think the main focus was actually the war itself: the conflict, the fighting, the anxiety, the death, the loss, and the small moments of humor and tenuous connection that made it all even slightly bearable. I thought Pitre did an excellent job of creating an intense environment that was descriptive, believable, and balanced.

In fact, one of the things I most appreciated about this book was Pitre's ability to show both the good and bad sides of war--and the people who fight it. There are no completely good guys here. And there aren't even any bad guys, honestly. Just a bunch of different groups with competing goals and beliefs. The people are all flawed, sure, but it's clear that both sides are also doing what they think is best for themselves and their families.

Ultimately, this was a wonderful read with just the right amount of depth, description, and mystery. It isn't the happiest book you'll ever read, but it could be one of the best.

On a side note, I loved what Pitre wrote about his wife in his acknowledgements. Ironically, the last paragraph in that section is what finally made me tear up a bit. I wish both of them the best of luck and happiness in life.

[Lou Fillari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel went from a light three stars to a strong three stars when I finished a chapter and realized I was holding my breath. I want to be picky and whine about how there weren't enough of these moments but I've never been involved in a military conflict so I'll refrain.

This book is four stories told by three characters in six points-of-view. With so much division, the POVs were kept compact and blunt which makes for an easy read and reassures one doesn't become too attached to any narrator. Many times is it mentioned that just because these men fought together does not mean they are friends. Disassociation and such is what I got out of that.

I wanted to say something else. If I remember, I'll edit this.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get a readahead copy. An amazing read that captures the action and boredom of war and just as effectively catches the protagonists coping back home. This is the tale of a platoon of engineers in Iraq. Their job is to fill in potholes on the roads of Iraq. The only problem is that the holes always conceal IED's. We meet the "LT," the Iraqi interpreter, the corpsman, and several NCO's. I like that the story is about combat service support Marines who are in "the shit" just as much as their infantry brothers. Pitre incorporates a woman NCO into the story and of course we have the typical SNCO's of the Marine Corps. A lot happens to this platoon and some of it's not pretty. And the action on the home front after their return, some in glory, some in disgrace is just as riveting. Probably the best war novel to date out of Iraq. I read this in less than 24 hours. Just mesmerizing.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure--I work for the publisher. This novel is a powerful, honest, and evocative. The characters grab you right away, particularly Dodge, the Iraqi interpreter, and stay with you long after you're done reading. The writing style is accessible but sophisticated. As I read I felt the intensity of being in combat situations as well as the despair and aimlessness of returned vets, wrestling with their pasts and trying to pursue different futures. I admire how the author is willing to show vulnerability in his soldiers, show them as real people with serious challenges. Highly recommend this one.

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pitre’s fine Iraq war novel is unusual in one sense that it’s not primarily about combat and destruction of the enemy. The Marine platoon that he writes about has a mundane support mission, filling in bombed-out holes on Iraq military highways,.“Fives and twenty-fives” refer to the clearing of the area around the holes to make sure there are no undetected bombs. Platoon members scan for five meters and then carefully walk for twenty-five meters . If the area is clear then the men mix and shovel cement to fill the holes and make the highway usable. Nerve-wracking work, but the hope is that nothing will happen, that their mission will be routine and ordinary

The story is told from three perspectives. One is a that of the second lieutenant, Pete Donovan, the second is Lester Pleasant, a medic, and third is an Iraqi translator, Kateb al Harari, referred to as Dodge by the men. Each man has problems, Donovan who was assigned this role after his predecessor was killed by a bomb has doubts about his leadership abilities Pleasant feels guilt about two men who die and develops a drug habit. Dodge comes from a privileged Baghdad family and was kidnapped and forced into service as a translator. He finds himself at odds with his family and friends who are fighting the Americans.

Originally, Dodge was going to write a thesis on HUCKLEBERRY FINN, in fact he still carried a battered copy around with him in combat. Why Twain’s book? Dodge thinks of the ending where Huck lights out for the territory, leaving “civilization” behind him. If the Iraq war is an example of 21st century civilization, Dodge escapes only to find that there no place where war doesn’t exist.

The novel has alternating narratives among the three, and follows their lives after their Iraqi experience when they return to civilian life, Donovan and Pleasant to the United States, and Dodge who escapes to Tunisia. Donovan and Pleasant keep thinking back to the war; part of their consciousness that they cannot escape from. . The point is emphasized when Donovan goes to visit a young woman, Sergeant Gomez, who was a part of his platoon. She was shot in the head by a sniper, but has lived on in civilian life, now brain dead,

They of course are not brain dead but the war has scarred all three of them. Pleasant and Donovan have serious problems in relating to women they meet, find a blankness when they try to connect with their families, and have alcohol issues Dodge, who had hoped to find some peace in Tunisia instead finds himself in the middle of a violent revolution.

All three of them are powerless to control the events around them, Pleasant in particular whose job is to patch up and save injured men., frustrating he’s only of use when a catastrophe occurs. Donovan is the “leader” of this platoon, but he questions how much leadership he is providing.

Dodge expresses one view of the war: "The Shia in the south want to give our country to the Iranians. The Sadrists in Baghdad kill men like us for spite. Out here in the desert, Saudi and Egyptian brats who joined al-Qaeda in a fit of boredom kill good men for nothing. The Americans and the Kurds kill us all." That’s an oversimplification, of course, but the complexities of war are always oversimplified by the participants and it’s this novel’s strength to avoid that easy route.

[Olivermagnus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fives and Twenty-Fives follows three men, two U.S. marines and one Iraqi, back and forth between their fighting days in 2006, one of the bloodiest years of the war, and their post-combat days in 2011.

Lieutenant Pete Donovan is from Alabama. He's a Tulane MBA candidate, and leader of the unit. Corpsman Lester 'Doc' Pleasant is a 19 year-old medic from the Louisiana bayou, who seems very overwhelmed by his responsibilities. Kateb, better known as "Dodge", and is the most interesting and complicated character. He was an Iraqi university student who was a fan of American hair bands and Huckleberry Finn, He was essentially conscripted as an interpreter for the unit.

Their job in Iraq is to repair the roads but it's not as simple as it sounds. Every pothole potentially contains a bomb. The team hops out of their vehicle and searches the area 5 meters around the vehicle for IEDs and then continue a visual scan out to 25 meters to ensure there were no IEDs behind or in front of the vehicle. The name and process establishes a routine that enables Marines to execute in high stress situations.

Once the men leave Iraq they try to cope with postwar life. Donovan is an emotionally detached MBA candidate in New Orleans. Doc is a recovering addict who lives with his father and hangs out at heavy-metal shows. Dodge has the misfortune of landing in Tunisia, where he witnesses the beginning of the Arab Spring, the Middle Eastern revolutionary wave that began in 2010.

War fiction can be hit for miss for me but this was really raw and honest. The reader clearly sees the soldiers coping with inner struggles as the go about their duties. It's not about acts of violent warfare and destruction of the enemy. The main characters have a pretty humdrum support mission, filling in bombed-out holes on Iraq military highways.

The author has obviously spent some time in the Middle East himself and his respect and sympathy with the people and the culture is apparent. The characters are interesting and the story moves along nicely. I thought the technical language might be overly complex but it was very understandable. I was definitely not disappointed by this book and hope you won't be either if you decide to read it.

[Robert Moscaliuc · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The characters in this story are fictional, but their battles are real."

Military jargon is like abstract art. It says a lot, but on a first encounter it smells like paint. And in war fiction there are usually two ways to deal with it. You either use it sparingly so that it gets lost and your reader gets a little electric shock every time it comes up, or you aim for dramatic effect by overusing it (as Phil Klay does in OIF, a short story included in Redeployment) and by pointing out its dryness and absurdity. In Fives and Twenty-Fives Michael Pitre, on the other hand, does something very interesting with both of these approaches.
First, he breaks the story into separate points of view, and each breaking point is signaled by a short note, a letter, an official report, and the occasional comments Dodge/Kateb makes for his thesis on Huck Finn. Most of these separate narratives move back (to the war in Iraq) and forth (to the Marines trying to rebuild their lives after the end of their service), and abound in flashbacks usually triggered by something happening in the present (to the point where some of them become predictable): Doc Lester Pleasant thinks of "the machine-gun range" when he hears the fireworks on New Year's Eve; Donovan thinks of a difficult mission involving dangerous chemical substances while working on his "solid reports" for his job; the grass smell in Lizzy's room reminds Lester of the "grass down at Nasr Wal Salam...Thickest damn grass I ever saw." And some of these flashbacks seem so absurd and ironic that they do not seem credible. Some of them are very funny, such as the episode when Dodge/Kateb first meets Lieutenant Pederson in All Smiles, All Friendship and the lieutenant's translator takes his job a little too seriously. "This guy? Pederson?", the interpreter says in Arabic during their encounter, "he is going to fuck your whole world. Fuck you hard up the ass. Tell him where you have the weapons hidden. He's Fifty Cent's cousin. I'm not lying." Pederson, of course, said nothing of the sort. There was no mention of Fifty Cent. This is also the episode in which Dodge starts to win the Americans' trust when he reveals himself to be a fluent speaker of English and unmasks the interpreter's jocular translations.
Most of these stories appear to be extended comments on the notes that precede them as if to offer a background and as such facilitate understanding. And some of those notes are written in dry military jargon. Consider for instance the frequent reports and the "findings of fact" that are mere inventories of facts. The stories that follow suit go well beyond those inventories and show the emotions in between, the decisions taken on those emotions. The most illustrative example in this sense is the chapter titled The Brass Buttons. Though preceded by a "respectfully submitted" "memorandum for the record" the chapter is a fierce display of emotion that makes it, in my opinion, one of the most memorable chapters in the novel. It is memorable because of Dodge's comments on the mission and because of how the unfolding of the mission is described by Donovan. When asked about the purpose of the mission Dodge replies in his typical ironic fashion:

"We are going to some place in the desert where I will speak in Arabic to some Iraqi dudes. You gentlemen will move barrels full of bad shit while sweating and cursing. Everybody will be pissed off, all day."

"He had the mission about right", Donovan replies mentally. The mission ends in complete failure for lack of preparation and equipment and the lieutenant has to humiliate himself and apologize to his chain of command. But the way the mission is described is even more memorable. The desert was not actually barren as all deserts are but complete with a suburb "like something out of the American Southwest".

"The gate opened to a stone walkway running alongside the American-style house, spurring the sensation that Zahn and I were the first to arrive at a birthday pool party. Again, I tried to shake off the feeling of familiarity and remind myself that I was in a war." (281)

The surreal apparition continues and the sense of uncanny familiarity doesn't wane:

"Through my clouded vision, I could see the Marines on security standing against a backdrop of houses not dissimilar from the ones in which they might have grown up, and they appeared to me as the children they had been just a few years earlier. I pictured them passing footballs in the street. Walking up to front doors wearing tuxedos, carrying flowers for their homecoming dates. I even let myself picture the impossibility of Gomez coming to the door in a dress, accepting her corsage." (282-3)

There's such tenderness in that passage and I feel like it's so revealing of the characters' personality and of the relationship between the Marines. There's such a paternal feeling to the scene. And Donovan, in the end, does what a father would do: abandon the mission to keep his Marines safe.
But that is not the only time in which Pitre is so good at showing emotion. Though rare, such moments strike a chord. Consider this one for instance, in Dodge's words:

"It is still New Year's Eve in America, and Lester needs to be out kissing girls, I should think. I might not hear from him for some time. Here in Tunisia, there have been girls to kiss but neither celebrations nor music. Only serious kisses that carry our fears." (300)

Or the moment when sergeant Gomez finally shows some emotion and, by extension, her love for Zahn:

"She kept her palm against my chest and increased the pressure until I took a full step back. I stole a glance at her face and took note of the tears welling in her eyes." (341)

And my favorite favorite of all: "I searched for feelings in my cheeks."
Give it a read, you won't regret it.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad effort for a first novel, and I suspect a lot of veterans will like it (especially the efforts to readjust to life after fighting) but I was, as an outsider to war, less than impressed overall. The story was fine, but I honestly am coming to dislike multiple narrators, especially when they jump back and forth with flashbacks. It has become a fashion with new writers it seems, and only a few really do it well methinks (Erdritch, and even then I don't really love it). It was a little different from some stories from our recent wars in that one of the voices is of an Iraqi interpreter (who is a literature major in love with Mark Twain's Huck Finn) who worked for the Americans. I find I enjoy the nonfiction war stories more than the fiction most of the time. Except for some, like Tim O'Brien.

[Stan Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fives and Twenty-Fives” by Michael Pitre is likely one of the best novels I’ve ever read about the early days of the Iraq war. The story revolves around marines doing logistics and route clearance work near Al Anbar province, Iraq. They repair bomb addled potholes and you follow the story through a lieutenant, a naval corpsman, an Iraqi interpreter, and a few other marines. The story takes place both during and after the war and you’re living through their recollections as they try to navigate life after war. This book is beautiful in a way that I am having a hard time communicating. I think partly because it felt so familiar to me. It felt more true than fiction. If you’re a GWOT veteran buckle up and give this book a shot, I am willing to bet that you’ll find yourself losing hours at a time as you flip page after page to continue living in this story. It’s amazing. Nuff said.

[natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this for novel research and this is why i hate books that switch perspectives. i think donovan’s perspective was the most interesting and they could have included the other two perspectives in a better or more balanced way. it could have been way more interesting but i ended up skipping half the book cause i just didn’t care. also really compelling picture of during/post-war life but doesn’t really have anything deep to say about the war, trauma, substance use, and just life in general. this book could work for someone else, but just not me. it has a lot of potential.

[Kevin Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hit close to home, mostly in how well it captured the sense of inadequacy a young officer feels when thrown into a situation where there is simultaneously too much, and too little, guidance from training and superiors. I'd highly recommend to anyone considering a Marine Corps officer program for an inside look at some key aspects of the job that aren't covered in the classrooms or training areas of Quantico.