I have absolutely no concept of what a war zone is like or how serving in a conflict might affect a soldier. I suspect many of those who read The Yellow Birds would be the same. I have listened to stories from ex-servicemen about their experiences in past conflicts, and although I feel better informed about specific events, their remembrances make me no better acquainted with how their minds were affected by what they witnessed. How can anyone truly appreciate the emotions such an experience elicits without going through it themselves? Upon his return from the middle east, Iraq veteran Kevin Powers was apparently constantly asked “what’s it like over there.” Possibly like many soldiers he struggled to describe what he felt. In his début novel he has created an emotionally powerful story that sheds some light on what can happen when human experiences are stretched to extremes.
John Bartle is a young soldier heading for Iraq. A new recruit, Murph, even younger than John, attaches himself to our narrator for safety and friendship. They are led by the slightly older, more experienced, confident and seemingly invincible Stirling, who gives them constant advice on survival in the hell to come.
Remember your fundamentals and you’ll be able to do what needs to be done. It’s hard at first, but it’s simple. Anyone can do it. Get a steady position and a good sight picture… and squeeze. For some people it’s tough after, but most people do it when the time comes…Just gotta dig deep, find that nasty streak.
Stirling is very specific about self-discipline and focus being the answer to survival, but he also offers the reminder that
People are going to die…it’s statistics
At the beginning of the book Bartle and Murph have a poignant conversation about the number of US Army casualties in their war edging closer to the number 1000. They pray that neither of them will become the thousandth casualty, an early indication that they feel their demise is inevitable rather than avoidable and a sad reality that the statistics Stirling speaks of are not necessarily in their favour.
The action tracks back and forth between Iraq and Bartle’s experiences once home after his tour of duty. We witness various assaults on enemy positions when adrenaline is pumping, the soldiers are on autopilot and all sympathy for anyone in their sight has been burnt away in the heat of the desert. We then witness Bartle’s inability to cope with being back home and facing family and friends.
I feel like I’m being eaten from the inside out and I can’t tell anyone what’s going on because everyone is so grateful to me all the time and I’ll feel like I’m ungrateful or something. Or like I’ll give away that I don’t deserve anyone’s gratitude and really they should all hate me for what I’ve done but everyone loved me for it and it’s driving me crazy.
Murph’s fate in this war also weighs heavy on Bartle and he tries to avoid the consequences, but they eventually catch up with him. In a way this procedural element of the story interested me less than Bartle’s slide into breakdown while trying to make sense of how things have ended up the way they have.
Powers’ descriptions of the fear, agitation and horrors felt by these men is the sort of writing that makes those emotions almost palpable to the reader. At the same time Bartle notices details around him whilst in the thick of fighting that you feel he should not even be aware of, and this combination of abhorrence and normality gives his account an authenticity.
His descriptions of the land- and town-scapes around Al Tafar, Iraq are vivid, as are those of Bartle’s surroundings once home. Bartle feels safety and peace in the forests near his home and heads there for sanctuary. There are many references to water in The Yellow Birds; rivers, lakes and ponds all feature heavily. Water has the power to cleanse, rivers are always in motion, moving ahead to their destination and not going back, and this is ultimately what Bartle is seeking; to wash away his memories of Al Tafar. The imagery is obvious to me, but I don’t know if it’s intentional!
The only thing that put me off this book slightly, is nothing to do with the content itself, more to do with the number of blurbs on the jacket. There are some serious literary heavyweights who have made quite lofty comments. This book doesn’t need that sort of support, it stands up perfectly well on its own. I might not have bought this book for myself due to the blurbs, however it was a Christmas gift and I’m glad I’ve read it. I suspect The Yellow Birds heralds the beginning of many more post Iraq books on the horizon and there will be other amazing stories among those to come, but for the time being Powers has set the standard and the bar is high.
Caroline at Beauty is a Sleeping Cat will be discussing this book as part of her Literature and War Readalong on 28th Jan
A Fiction Habit 
I read this book at the same time as Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and it was interesting how both captured something different about the Iraq War. But I thought they both did a great job at it.
I’ve read a few critical reviews here and there in newspaper where it was dicussed how much money Powers received in advance although he wasn’t published before, just because it’s a book on the war in Iraq. I’m not sure how much good that will do him in the future.
Many blogger reviews I’ve seen meanwhile are rather cautious with the praise. As you write, it’s beautifully written, we agree on that and I enjoyed reading it and that’s excactly what I found strange after having finished it. it’s bit too well crafted, too smooth. It’s a beautiful story of a friendship but as Tony wrote in his review, there will be other books on this war in the future and they may be more about the war and many aspects that were not covered.
There’s been so much buzz around this book. Mostly, I heard positive reviews. Maybe some of the negatives you mentioned might be part of being a debut novelist? I don’t know. The theme of water seems relevant but maybe a little clumsy. I hope to get to this book later in the year. Thanks for your comments 🙂
Thanks for visiting for the first time! It is only the blurb on the jacket I don’t like much, the book itself is excellent, with flashes of inspired writing. The story is sad, but a bit of an eye opener. There is a section of nearly 2 pages with no punctuation when Bartle rants and you really feel his anger at the whole situation spill out onto the page. It is short so if you get a chance, give it a go.
This sounds very interesting. I had never before made the connection between the number of vets who ‘go bush’ as we say here in Australia and the need to ‘feel clean’.
Don’t you wish it were possible to read something reflective from the other side in this conflict? I do, I just can’t imagine how they find any peace afterwards either.
Lisa, I agree, it would be very interesting to read something from the opposite perspective, there must be something out there. I can imagine it would be the sort of experience to scar you for life.
I’ll come back and read and comment as soon as I’ve finished the book and will add a link to my post on Monday.