cover image War Porn

War Porn

Roy Scranton. Soho, $26 (352p) ISBN 978-1-61695-715-5

Scranton’s provocative debut novel lucidly captures the fractured perspectives of war. Told in three recurring sections punctuated by fragmentary, poetic introductions, the lives of three characters unfold under the influence of the Iraq War which, at every turn, is mediated and distorted by the lens of mass media. The first section follows civilian Dahlia at a party somewhere in the American Southwest, where she meets Aaron, a veteran newly home from Iraq. Conflicting political ideologies clash as booze and drugs create a dangerous mix for the impassioned opinions. In the second section, Wilson weaves his armored vehicle through the streets of Baghdad while contemplating his role in the conflict. He performs the day-to-day grind of someone who only wears the uniform, cynically following orders sometimes rooted in prejudice against the Muslim civilians. In the third section, Qasim, a mathematics professor in Baghdad, tries to survive the brutality on both sides of the befuddling war while making sense of himself, his country, and what may become of both. Living with his uncle Mohammed and away from his wife, Lateefah, he struggles with the expectations of his family. Having enlisted in the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2006 and having been deployed to Iraq, Scranton writes with honesty and authority about a complicated clash of weapons, politics, and culture. His novel is an unflinching, and sometimes difficult, examination of humanity during wartime. (Aug.)