Perfume River

This is a beautifully written and thought provoking novel that probes the repercussions of war on family, marriage, sons, and brothers. Robert is 70 years old, served in Vietnam, and whose marriage to Darla was born in the divisive anti war marches. Their marriage is now permeated with silence and routines. Jimmy, Robert's brother, was banished by his father for his resolve in being a conscientious objector. He forged a life in Canada with Linda for 46 years with no contact with his family. Their lives are at a crossroads and their father has an accident that brings death knocking at his door. A psychologically damaged homeless war veteran's mind is dangerously confused and reverts to his relationship with his father and war. Where this novel excels is in its insights into the jealousy, blame, betrayal, bitterness, insecurities, anger and regret experienced by the various characters.

Robert has flashbacks to his time in Vietnam, and his lover, Lien, who disappeared in the Tet Offensive. Like his father, he cannot forget the fear that drove him to kill a man. This has haunted him through the years. There are no war stories, only silence and a fear that if he talks, his life will collapse. A 70 year old man who still depends on the approval of his father, a father who put greater emphasis on the composure of a soldier than on his sons. Men sold wars on the basis on patriotism, politics, religion, and the ludicrous Domino theory to justify a country gone mad. Who have to face the depths of betrayal when their country quits the region. What was it all for? The destruction that men go on to wreak on their families and themselves. The mental health issues that proliferate. The story moves inexorably towards Robert's father's funeral.

There is an understated artistry in the prose and the narrative of the novel. The insights into the introspection of the complex and multi-dimensional characters render them authentic. For Robert and his father, all tenderness was swallowed in their barren emotional landscape that obliterated all passion. The Perfume River which has such a wonderful fragrance yet is underpinned by the stench of the rotten. Thankfully, Robert can face some of his fears. The unbearable and unforgiving nature of his father gives us food for thought, particularly as war begins to infect the next generation of the family. I thought this was an outstanding novel that brought back many of the anti war poets that I read when I was younger. This book made a unforgettable impression and it feels like a work of art that I would highly recommend others to read. Thanks to Oldcastle Books for an ARC.

This is a moving and compelling novel about the impact war can have on a family long after the conflict itself is over. It’s an intelligent and empathetic exploration of the relationship between fathers and sons, the expectations fathers often have of their sons, the difficulties of living up to those expectations  and the way an inability to communicate can lead to a lifetime of disappointment and lost opportunities. It's a powerful story, beautifully written, expertly paced, and suffused with melancholy, centred around a single family, and at times I found it unbearably sad.

So I admit it, I was a little daunted when I started this as it is written by a Pulitzer Prize winner - I was expecting something heavy and intense. However I found that I was quite gripped and was genuinely enjoying the story more than I had anticipated. It is in no doubt exceptionally well written literary fiction, but I found it a very absorbing, concise read with a distinctive narrative style and distinctive protagonist. There was so much in the book that really appealed and worked for me. As they say, never judge a book by its cover .......

The very topic of the Vietnam War and the dysfunctional relationships within the protagonist's family mean that it is not without intensity, emotion or gravitas but Butler's writing is very readable and very engaging. It is a relativity short book at around 250 pages so the story is actually very contained and focussed. Although there are quite a range of issues and relationships explored in the story, it was not overwhelming or overly complicated. I became immersed in Robert's world very quickly, I felt very much part of his journey and I found the alternate sections where the narrative switched to one of the few other main characters did not interrupt the flow of the story or the connection between the reader and Robert.

I would perhaps have liked some chapter breaks but that's more to do with the fact that I always struggle to put a book down and a chapter break might have made it easier to take a pause! However, reading without the enforced structure of chapters does increase the fluidity of the novel. Perhaps it accentuates that it is a little more of a shorter novel which is quite introverted, focussing on the build up, tensions and flashbacks which are preparing us for the climatic denouement.

The Vietnam War isn't something I can personally relate to and I wouldn't necessarily chose to read a book based around a man's experience in that war. Equally, I probably read more novels with female leads but I found it a really refreshing perspective to read about something different. I also really enjoyed the male characterisation and it reminded me of other American novels with male protagonists which I have enjoyed in the past.

"What are Robert Quinlan and his wife feebly arguing about when the homeless man slips quietly in? Moments later Robert could hardly have said. ObamaCare or quinoa or their granddaughter's new boyfriend. Something."

These are the intriguing opening lines. Effortlessly establishing atmosphere, character and a sense of time and place as well as tension. There are repeated references to specific brands which I found rooted the novel firmly in today's society as well as creating a contrast with some of the more dream like sequences, internal wanderings and flashbacks.

"They are focussed thinkers, Robert and Darla. They would, if pressed to consider the matter, attribute some of their focus to the mutual respect they have for each other's work. They need give each other not a single thought once they are sitting in these long familiar rooms."

The marriage between Robert and Darla is quite fascinating. A couple who seem detached and foreign from each other yet still connected. I thought the fact that "Their kindles have their own lights" was hugely metaphorical for how they lived their shared existence. I liked the description of their bedtime routine:

""Goodnight" she says, aware of the vanishing of his light in her periphery. "Goodnight," he says, though they have long ago agreed that the formality of his reply is unnecessary.....Nor do they kiss. They are so very familiar with each other. And that familiarity has become the presiding expression of their intimacy."

And the use of "a utilitarian kiss, surely, conveying gratitude for a courtesy rendered" equally effective as Butler explores the dynamics and relationship between the couple.

The other relationship which is explored in the novel is the one between Robert and his father and then that with his estranged brother, who has his own issues to confront.

"You didn't choose your parents. You didn't choose your land of birth. If you and they have nothing in common, if they are always, irrevocably at odds with each other, is it betrayal simply to leave family and country behind? No." (Jimmy, Robert's brother)

Robert's fixation with his experience in the war dominate the novel and even though it is so far in his past it slips into his daily thoughts. The war divides the brothers as well as their relationship with their father. A father who Robert is desperate to gain approval from and so set to follow in his footsteps, takes himself off to Vietnam.

".....who goes to war and sleeps and eats and drinks and writes letters and listens to music and falls safely in love in another country with an exotic girl and writes a resume and plans a future life and goes home; who goes to war to please your dad, to receive your dad's approval, to make your dad proud, to win your dad's love."

A sense of underlying violence runs subtly between the words, ever present in a manner that becomes more threatening until the final climax, when suddenly the action and drama becomes quite breathtaking.

This is an eloquent and mesmerising tale. The issues raised are profound and moving but the prose feels understated, simple and subtle. It is a book exploring the apathy of a long term marriage, mortality, ageing, family, love, estrangement and war. It is about damage, physically and emotionally. There are many lines which linger with you and many moments where it feels as if you need some time to absorb what Butler might be implying, suggesting or alluding to. It is intellectual and broaches many quite philosophical questions but overall, I found it did this effortlessly and was highly readable.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy literary fiction, American fiction, books with male protagonists and reading something that can conjure up quite complex situations and characterisations through a brevity of language and description.

Let me start by saying that this is a very complex and meaningful read that explores a multitude of weighty themes that need a special skill to woven and Butler has done so marvellously. For a numerous time I am falling in love with the fluidity of language that the author possesses; his prose touches the right chord every time and they managing of time-shifts is handled with such easy that it exceeds perfection.

Elegant and strong it is a search for truth rather than for redemption or reconciliation. It is a novel of greatness as it spans over half a century to explore the lives of the Quinlan's under the shadow of the Vietnam war. Through this exploration, Butler raises the postulates of human existence to question them one more time. What is right, and what wrong; how to maintain courage in the face ot danger and most importantly how to live with the decisions you make? A worthy story, well told that will move most readers, especially those who grew up in the Vietnam war era. It is above all a read that will challenge your perception of war, how a family can divide over it, one going to war, the other escaping to Canada; and how all changes for ever.

I cannot fully relate to the subject matter as I am a kid of the 90s, but i can assure you it resonates on a very deep and personal level for everyone who attempts to read it. There is a feeling of oppression & suppression throughout this novel. We are invited into this world to disentangle threads - in our own mind. At least that's what I keep doing. It teleported me into a state of mind that very few books have managed to successfully throuw me in. I am still recovering... Maybe on a later date in time I will have some more to say, but for now I will let it sink into the soil of my soul to water it with kindness and thoughts.

I haven’t read many novels related to the Vietnam War but I am really glad I read this one.  The writing is fantastic and filled with insight into human nature.  It’s a bit of a complicated interspersing of stories that is fairly easy to follow and not lose your way yet it made me feel a bit uneasy; I realized I was as uneasy as the characters were feeling in the book.  As a reader I could keep track of the stories but I don’t know how the author kept track as he was writing it.  There is constant interplay between current times and past experiences.  One of the main characters has severe PTSD and the writing makes you feel as if you could see life through this character’s eyes.  You understand what he is thinking and what he is seeing vs what is reality.  It was very eye opening.  The story delved deep into each family member and how and why the war effected them and their relationships without being political or preachy.  And, on top of the insights shared it also had a very suspenseful ending.  I highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an early release of this book.