Like it more than I thought

I don't usually like books or even movies about war, but as it says the New York Times said about this book, "To call Going After Cacciato a novel about war is like calling Moby-Dick a novel about whales." The main character, Paul Berlin, is easy to relate to even as he is in situations I've never been in and probably never will be in. He is introspective and down-to-earth, and his commentary on situations is simple but vivid in detail and emotion at the same time. I also find it highly impressive when an author can switch between time frames from chapter to chapter and it still make sense. Tim O'Brien does a good job establishing the main story line and characters, alluding to other situations, then switching to those scenarios in present tense. His mix of reality and fantasy is seamless, and this shows the nature of war to produce a surreal environment at times. The way this novel is written really does make it, as the cliche goes, "a page-turner," and while we think we know what's going on at times, there are hidden surprises along the way that make us as the readers realize we can't have everything figured out yet.