1987NBA 1987
Paco's Story
Larry Heinemann · 1944–2019 · United States
Why it matters
The ghosts of an entire dead infantry platoon narrate their sole survivor's numb, disbelieving return to small-town America. Heinemann's National Book Award winner, an upset over Beloved, refuses Vietnam's violence any comforting distance.
At a glance
war novelpsychological novel
Difficulty 6/10medium pace208 pagesAn unusual collective ghost narrator and flat, unsentimental violence demand close attention.
Deep dive
Told entirely by the dead men of Paco's own platoon — because the living, it turns out, were never going to be able to hear this from him directly.
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