'Dangerous Friend' classic Vietnam parable
Written: Sep 23 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Artistic vision of origins of Vietnam war
Cons: Plot is somewhat slight
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| jorn's Full Review: Just Ward S |
I'm adding Ward Just's "A Dangerous Friend" to my shortlist of best Vietnam novels, which in chronological order would include:
- Graham Greene's 1955 "The Quiet American"
- "A Dangerous Friend" (takes place in 1965)
- Robert Stone's 1974 "Dog Soldiers" (c1972?)
- Gustav Hasford's 1979 "The Short-Timers" (c1972?)
Just's novel takes a very unique point-of-view: neither the army grunts on the ground, nor those Washington bureaucrats called 'the best and the brightest', but rather a point halfway between: a non-military volunteer on the ground in 1965 Vietnam, trying to win the 'hearts and minds' of the people.
The plot has the shape of an anecdote (probably partly true) that Just has been retelling since the 60s, but that he's finally fleshed out into a novel, 30 years on.
But that fleshing-out is a true work of art-- he brings Vietnam to life in completely unexpected ways, and while the anecdote at the core could be summarised in less than a dozen words, the world he builds around it is rich and true and affecting.
Just is a real novelist, for whom plot is secondary to detail, to literature, to art.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jorn
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Member: Jorn Barger
Location: Chicago, IL
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 61 members
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