Brief Description
Both a love story and a wartime chronicle, this powerful novel reveals the effects of the Vietnam War on a group of young friends living in a small Ohio town. As the 1970 draft lottery nears, they examine their views of the war and the fate that awaits them. Each embarks on a painful, personal search that will strip away their youthful naivete.
Learn More about the Book
Both a love story and a wartime chronicle, this powerful novel reveals the effects of the Vietnam War on a group of friends living in a small town in Ohio. As the 1970 draft lottery nears, the young men must examine their views of war and consider the fate that awaits them; the young women face the possibility of losing their husbands, boyfriends, and friends. Each member of the group embarks on a personal search that will bring very real and very adult conflict and pain and strip away their youthful naivete. The enormity of this war contrasted with the microcosm of one small town exposes the ambivalence of characters who are at war with themselves.
Review Quotes
1. Funny, nostalgic, and troubling all at once . . . Brings a tumultuousera back to life with all its pain, excitement, and complexity intact.--Tom Perrotta"Author of "Election" and "The Leftovers"" (10/01/1998)
2. In his lovely prose Lax returns us to that time and reminds us of how it was to live and love then.--Ann Hood"Author of "Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine" and "The Obituary Writer"" (10/01/1998)
3. Clever plot . . . This fast-paced, dialogue-driven book contains serious themes and a compelling story.--Reviewer Book"Vietnam Veterans Magazine" (10/01/1998)
4. Powerful . . . Those of us who came of age in those years remember the fear, the soul searching we went through. Lax captures the mood of the era and tells a strong tale of love, brotherly and otherwise.--Walker Tom"Denver Post" (10/01/1998)
5. Powerful . . . Those of us who came of age in those years remember the fear, the soul searching we went through. Lax captures the mood of the era and tells a strong tale of love, brotherly and otherwise. -- Tom Walker "Denver Post"
6. Funny, nostalgic, and troubling all at once . . . Brings a tumultuous
era back to life with all its pain, excitement, and complexity intact. -- Tom Perrotta "Author of "Election" and "The Leftovers""
7. Clever plot . . . This fast-paced, dialogue-driven book contains serious themes and a compelling story. -- Book Reviewer "Vietnam Veterans Magazine"
8. In his lovely prose Lax returns us to that time and reminds us of how it was to live and love then. -- Ann Hood "Author of "Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine" and "The Obituary Writer""
