Through the Bamboo

by Mack Green

In 1967 the Vietnam War grows bloodier. After months of combat the few remaining men of a Marine rifle squad must endure seven more months of war. Natural and supernatural forces blend finely together in the land they fight. Reality and fantasy become increasingly difficult to distinguish. For Sergeant Robert Mann, keeping himself and his men alive is unexpectedly twisted by a moral dilemma. A fellow Marine, Staff Sergeant Lane, confides to Mann his intention to kill the platoon’s new lieutenant who has shamed him and whom he sees as a dangerous “medal seeker.” Rather than immediately confronting Staff Sergeant Lane, Mann remains silent. By the time Mann decides to act, Lane has assassinated the lieutenant. Mann is bewildered by the consequences of his inexplicable passivity. Seemingly complicit in murder, Mann makes the decision to forget; let amnesia do its work. Mann’s moral being further unravels despite his struggle to keep control. He forgets how to sleep. As he nears a point of dissolution, Mann decides to confess his sins to his commanding officer. But in Vietnam, spirits of the dead are always roaming about and the real and the unreal are hard to tell apart.

367 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2015

About the author

Mack Green is a member of Lighthouse Writers in Denver, Colorado and a retired neuropsychologist. As a young man he served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the U.S. Marines and received two purple hearts. He is a member of Veterans for Peace and a contributor of articles and essays on political and social justice to LAProgressive magazine. His home is in Colorado.

Reviews

[Kk555 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable story. A surprise. Have read most Vietnam books. Surprised to come across this recent publication. Story development reveals strange tale of survival and moral injury. Luck is an ultimate companion when it comes to surviving in war. A quality of magical realism runs throughout. Surprise ending that gives you hope. There were some intense scenes along the way and had to set the book aside from time to time. But very intrigued by the quality of writing, the lyrical style, and the unusual story. Not your classic war story. It's an argument for peace.

[David Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book through a goodreads giveaway a while back and finally got around to reading it. While the book is moving at times and the characters well developed, I had a hard time getting into another book about Nam. The story follows one soldier through the final months of his deployment and eventual return to The States. We see fellow members of his patrol and learn about major ethical dilemmas within.

I got distracted by some of the repetition. For instance, the word "concertina" kept cropping up and didn't really add much to the story. It felt like this was the only way to describe the wire. Additionally, about 3/4 through the book, we suddenly have a story from the perspective of an enemy soldier. I am not sure why Green decided to introduce this dynamic so late. It could have been a lot stronger had he introduced this character and developed parallel with Mann. Further, I would have loved to see the epilogue expanded out a bit more than 10 pages. The hints of struggles faced when returning home would have made for a richer story than spending all of the book in war-story mode.

[Gary Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an entertaining book. I really felt the jungle heat, the oppression, the fear. Green knows the subject and the futillity of this war. I wish i couls have read the entire book to find out the ending, unfortunately, having a mastiff puppy, well you know the rest.

This read is recommended for those who wish to understand the suffering , the lives, and the torments of those who fought this war.

[Wendy Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written, interesting and heartbreaking novel about the Vietnam War in 1967. The author has served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam making this novel so real with the horrors these men faced and their fragile grasp on reality.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Joseph Carano · Rating 4 out of 5]

won this novel in a Goodreads giveaway. This is a very powerful story about the Vietnam war. It follows a group of soldiers smack dab in the middle of the action and the tolls it takes on their lives and minds. This book will no doubt be a future classic if it isn't already. I highly recomend it.

[Tianne Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this from the giveaways via First Reads. As much as you feel like you are there and the author is writing from his own tours experience it was a bit distracting to have the short chapters and also the rather wasted pages of nothing on it. Overall it was good just let me down there

[Samuel345 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting. Somewhat surreal. Seemed to be a book about the challenge of staying moral in war as well as surviving it. Nicely written. Held my interest.

[Amanda Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free from goodreads first reads.

I was hoping for more from this book. I didn't feel a connection to the characters and therefore the story was slow for me.