Searching for Gurney

by Jack Estes

Jack Estes' new novel, Searching for Gurney , follows the lives of three US Marines and a North Vietnamese soldier during horrific battles in the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam. But what happens after the war? With gripping clarity, Estes takes the reader into the damaged souls of these young men. The fate of Lt. Gurney haunts every corner of the story as each of them tries to make sense of the war. " Searching for Gurney is a tender, convincing, sometimes harrowing, and wonderfully written novel that explores the psychological aftershocks of the American war in Vietnam. For veterans and for the families.of veterans, this book is a must-read. Even more than that, I highly recommend Searching for Gurney to those who rattle sabers and wave flags but have never experienced the horrors of people killing other people." —Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried " Searching for Gurney is a novel that will open your mind and heart to the sad reality that too many Vietnam veterans faced when they returned home. For those who fight in them, wars don’t end when the treaties are signed. For too many Vietnam veterans the safe harbor they yearned to come home to was filled with mines. Jack Estes has given us characters from all parts of America that will allow readers to understand a shameful time in our history, a time when young men risked everything and lost much to serve their nation’s bidding, but were vilified for doing so by those who they thought they served. —Karl Marlantes, Matterhorn “Estes, a Marine Corps veteran who was wounded in Vietnam, brings both personal experience and meticulous research to the page. This brutal novel of American and Vietnamese soldiers’ struggles during and after the war will enthrall fans of character-driven drama. Great for fans of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried , Bao Ninh’s The Sorrow of War .” — BookLife . “In Estes’ war novel, Searching for Gurney , four soldiers cope with the effects of a deadly engagement between U.S. Marines and members of the North Vietnamese Army. The staggered timelines offer readers an almost Cubist vision of PTSD, providing its context while dramatizing its aftereffects. It all builds steadily to the key event, which, by the time it arrives, has grown to near-mythic proportions.” — Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Fiction

328 pages, Paperback

Published November 3, 2020

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Searching for Gurney

Author: Jack Estes

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: war stories, military fiction

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

Genre: War Novel

Recommended Age: 17+ (violence, gore, death, PTSD)

Publisher: O’Callahan Press

Pages: 257

Synopsis: Searching for Gurney explores the damaged lives of three U.S. Marines and one North Vietnamese soldier in the late 1960s and '70s. Each character's story begins at a different place-JT, home and struggling with flashbacks; Coop, on leave and getting drunk at his grandfather's funeral; Hawkeye, at the moment a judge gives him the choice of jail or boot camp; and Vuong, leaving his small village to join the NVA with patriotic fervor. Sent home after a horrific ambush, the Marines face new battles with PTSD and a hostile American public that treats them as criminals. Nightmares, anger, and substance abuse destroy family relationships and, ultimately, one character's life. For all of them, making sense of life after war requires the utmost courage.

Review: I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. And throughout the reading I wasn't disappointed by it. I felt like the character development was sound and overall the story was intriguing enough to keep me up from beginning to end.


However I did have an issue with the pacing. I felt like it was really slow and I had to force myself to read through a lot of it. I also felt like the world building could have been a little bit better.

Verdict: It was good, just slow.

[Kea4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of three U.S. Marines and one North Vietnamese soldier whose stories all come colliding together in the end when they all search for Gurney.

The book is built up in a different way than one normally sees. The reader gets parts of the story here and there.

What happens to Gurney is shocking. The book gives one a good look at that war. What happens when you misplace trust and sometimes luck.

Dealing with the Vietnam war this book does a great job but it’s not an easy read.

It’s very eye-opening to see how soldiers deal with coming home if they make it home at all. Trying to survive. Dealing with PTSD, drugs, and alcohol. One or two stores pop more but that ending…
It shows you that no matter if the battle has been won or lost something, is lost in war no matter what. And things will never be the same in the end no matter how hard one tries.

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Wrenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was too young to remember much about the Vietnam War. This book is a realistic and heartbreaking look back at what they went through.
Told in four points of view, JT, Cooper and Hawkeye are American soldiers and Vuong is a Vietnamese soldier.
Through staggered time lines, we experience with them the horrors of war, and the devastating effects that linger for the rest of their lives with PTSD and the negative attitudes they faced when they came home.
We learn of the many lives lost in the war, and because of the war.
This is a powerful, authentic and extremely moving fictional account, based on the author's personal experiences.
Though it saddened and shocked me, I'm glad I read it and was given a better understanding of these historic events.
Thank you Lindsey at Smith Publicity for the gifted copy to review.

[MARCIA S · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book by Mr. Estes once again. Many of my home town friends were drafted into this war. Some did not return. One took his own life and another lost his battle with drugs after coming home. Jacks books opened my eyes and mind to see and understand the war from the point of view of those who were actually there. His stories touch my heart and educate my brain at the same time.

[Dan Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Searching for Gurney

While I was reading this book my mind drifting from my time in Nam and back to the book, I realized that I was not that different than JT. Well back to the book review, well written and moving.

[Bookoholiccafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very special. I was really curious to read the story, however, I have to say it is a slow-paced book. I recommend it to those who are interested in war fiction.

[Meme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be special. I have had family members serve in many wars and I lost some. I was very curious as to how this book was going to be and i liked it. It took me awhile to read this book because i wasn't sure how it was going to be like. I liked this book. I have recommend this book to family and they liked it as well. There comments were... Keep up the good work. Very good book. I want to read more. So over all i say Very Good book.