The Surge

Larry Chandler knows what his fellow soldiers dontthat war scars you and haunts you, leaving you with memories youd prefer not to face. Theyre all National Guardsmen serving together in Iraq, but hes already done a stint in Afghanistan, whereas theyre fresh-faced youngsters on their first tour. The new soldiers are eager for something more interesting than life on a firebase, or boring guard duty at isolated outpostsand theyre about to get their wish.

Adam Kovac has written one of the great novels of The Forever Warsone that captures both the dust and grit and sweat of soldiers on patrol, and the surrealism of their lives back on base. (Where they might be checking Facebook and ordering lattes one minute, and dodging mortars the next.) In its first edition, it earned comparisons to the likes of Hemingway, Mailer, and OBrien; this revised second edition promises to find it the audience it so richly deserves.