Matterhorn, by Karl Marlantes
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a fantastic novel (based presumably on Marlantes experience in Vietnam) about the Vietnam war. "Matterhorn" is a hill/mountain that figures prominently in the story, taken by protagonist Mellas' Bravo Company not once but twice.
The overarching theme - that this was a futile war, and that the poor men taking bullets did so based on baseless direction from rich men in Washington or hidden safely back in the bunkers - is not a new one. But it is so well done and such a new voice that it's worthy of all the praise it received in 2010 when it was published. Here is a quote that really resonated with me:
What was the military objective, anyway? If they were here to fight communists, why in hell wasn't Hanoi the objective? They could easily put the communist leaders out of their misery and end all this crap. Or just throw a bunch of Army divisions across the northern and eastern borders in defensive positions, which would multiply their force capabilities at least threefold. They'd keep the NVA out of the country with about one-tenth of the casualties. The South Vietnamese could sort out of the Vietcong. Hell, since Tet last yea, the Vietcong were already sorted out. The Marines seemed to be killing people with no objective beyond the killing itself. That left a hollow feeling in Mulvaney's gut. He tried to ignore it by doing his job, which was killing people.
If the war is of any interest to you, and you enjoy good writing and new perspectives on old subjects, then Matterhorn is well worth your time. It isn't quite a five star book for me, mostly because in truth I got lost more than a few times with the military jargon, some of the strategy, etc. (There is a glossary at the end...which was just a bit too late to help.)
Rating: 8.0/10.0