Patrick Hennessey - The Junior Officers' Reading Club

I remember reading about this when it was first published and being intrigued, but not quite intrigued enough to go out and buy it.  I subsequently happened upon a copy though and - not least I have to admit because there was a quote from William Boyd on the front cover - couldn't resist.

From the outset I have to say that 'war books' are not really a genre that does much for me.  I'm as likely to read 'Bravo Two Zero' at any time in the near future as I am 'Black Hawk Down'.  To clarify, that is never, even if I was locked in a cell with no possibility of release and they were the only reading matter available, that is how vehemently I despise gung-ho military potboilers.

I was surprised by how quickly I was gripped by this then, I was even more surprised at how well written it was, not least given the relative youth of the author.  It was much, much better than it had any right to be and is a testament to the importance that email has today in replacing the hastily penned missive, even at the heart of the battlefield.

What Hennessey has done so expertly is to distill some of the reasons that young men still want to join the armed forces by explaining the excitement, the camaraderie and the epic highs that can be achieved.  However, he juxtaposes this with a very knowing analysis of the futility, stupidity and banality of armed conflict.  

For me, what this book did was something that a thousand newspaper and television reports have not done. I felt that I had some understanding of the reality of life as a front line combatant in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I knew that the idea behind the western forces in Afghanistan was to 'support' the ANA and attempt to train them to their own exacting standards.  This book chronicles the huge difference between these two fighting forces.

Hennessey doesn't over analyse, he puts out the facts as they are, or as he believes them to be and allows us to come to our own conclusions.  You can feel that these experiences have made him a different person. Whether being placed in such extreme conditions makes you 'stronger' as traditional wisdom has it, or has a totally different effect on your psychology, it is difficult to tell.  

I felt that the light touch that the book has, along with the literary and gaming activities that connected grim conditions in Afghanistan, took you on a fascinating journey.  This was no heavy-handed Tolkienesque 'there and back again' saga though, it was about very real people in.

This is a great piece of work, and I hope that Hennessey doesn't give up on literary endeavours in whatever future path him on. Highly recommended.