i finished "the floatplane notebooks" last night. it is set in the time period leading up to and encompassing the vietnam war, but is vastly different than "
the things they carried." this one is mostly about the individuals in one north carolina family and how life, including war, doesn't change them. they are southern quirky to the core and remain so throughout the novel. the story is about fitting back in to this family, war wounds and all, whereas "the things they carried" is about a man who carries the war inside himself every day for forever. i think this is part of the beauty of literature. there are so many perspectives and so much to think about. life isn't black and white; it's lived in full vivid color with lots of grey.
i loved the style of the book. it reminded me quite a bit of the stream of consciousness genius of william faulkner in "the sound and the fury." i felt like i got to know the characters really well. there are several instances of racist dialogue that might be off-putting to some. being southern myself, this are a part of my history. i believe recording who we are and who we were is important. the book didn't end in the profound crescendo that i would have liked, but life isn't always like that either, is it? i was definitely intrigued by clyde edgerton's style and am putting several of his other titles on my to read list.
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