The things they carried 1

This book is way more than just an anthology of stories about vietnam. It's a study on the idea of truth. O'brien again and again states that some of the stories in the book are truer than they would be if they had actually happened. I find this interesting, it sort of makes truth a metaphysical concept rather than a statement of fact. Also, the stories are very well written, in particular The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, which has a haunting quality about it.

beloved country 1

J-burg is awesome! It is a fantastically dystopian city, populated largely by people who have come hoping to find a brighter future only to be sucked into a vicious cycle of poverty and oppression. Absalom is one such person, and a large portion of the plot so far follows his path through his places of residence, which become more and more sketchy. My prediction is that when he is finally found, he will have been so changed that his father won't even know him.