Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

This novel has been on many of the best lists since being published earlier this spring. Amazon featured it has one of their best books of the month and other reviews have for the most part spoken very highly about this book.

Unfortunately I disagree. First off it should be noted that satire is not one of my favorites. This book has been called a the Catch 22 of the Iraq War and I should admit that I was no great fan of Catch 22 either.

Fountain's novel centers on Billy Lynn, a nineteen year old army private who along with his platoon has taken part in a heroic mission in the war that America is celebrating. It is because of their efforts on this mission that Billy and his fellow soldiers have been pulled from combat and taken on a two week trip through the United States. A publicity tour to sell a positive from the war and Billy and his fellow soldiers are used and know they are being used.

As we join Billy it is Thanksgiving Day and he and his cohorts are being taken to the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game. They will get good seats, they will be presented to the crowd at halftime and they will provide patriotic Americans both in Dallas and watching on television an opportunity to feel good about themselves and the war effort.

As the day progresses Billy takes on flashbacks but for the most part the book takes place in that one day. We hear Billy's internal thoughts about how often and frequently the soldiers are thanked, and how while appreciating the sentiments it often makes them feel uncomfortable.

Billy is nineteen years old. He does not have any big picture ideas. He wants to drink, he would like to find a girl to take his virginity and he would like to not have to go back to the war.

Why is the book bad? For me it was profane. The characters were not enjoyable. Now the fact that this book illustrates that a good portion of the soldiers doing are fighting are poor, under educated, of color, with limited options or some combination of the above does as much to illustrate separation of the military from American society as does Rachel Maddow's book Drift which attempts to illustrate that point.


Outside of that though the book is profane, digressing, loud and yet dull. I was sorely disappointed in this book.