Darkling Plain
SAIGON, 1968 … CROSSROADS
ON THE DARKLING PLAIN OF WAR.When Gordon Hunter arrives in Vietnam to begin his
twelve-month tour of duty, his mind is filled with stark
images from the evening news.He soon experiences the very real and bloody war
behind those images, and the very real people whose
lives it impacts. There is the boy who must grow up
too soon … the marine with a twisted heart … the
infantryman who has seen too much and goes sane …
the old Buddhist teacher ennobled by his suffering …
the glory-bound lieutenant who has both feet planted
firmly in the air … the enchanting Vietnamese girl
who conceals a bitter secret.Unconventional in structure, Darkling Plain is an
interrelated series of short stories, each of which
stands alone yet also advances the overall narrative.
All examine the impact of America’s most controversial
war on a young and well-intentioned American.
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