FICTION

The Coldest Night

by Robert Olmstead
Algonquin. Apr. 2012. c.304p. ISBN 9781616200435. $22.95. F
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A combination of war novel and love story, this work follows Henry, a young man in 1950 West Virginia, as he falls for a wealthy young woman and runs away with her to New Orleans. When their affair is violently interrupted by her family, Henry enlists in the marines. The Korean War is raging, and Henry experiences an epic battle, gruesome wounds, and unforgettable horrors. Although the book is framed by a love affair, the heart of it—and where the narrative is most gripping—is Henry's experience in combat. Olmstead (Coal Black Horse) has a spare, direct style that is most effective in the brilliant, engrossing combat descriptions and ironic marine banter. In the West Virginia scenes, the clipped conversations of the characters are more noticeably stylized.
VERDICT A novel of the early 1950s and the Korean War that will appeal to readers of literary fiction.
Reviewed by John R. Cecil, Austin, TX , Feb 15, 2012
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