Justin's Notes

Jul. 6, 2024

I have been becoming fairly interested in war books, especially historical fiction war stories. I have only read a couple so far, but these stories are so incredibly well done and consistently elicit so many feelings out of me. Everything from heartache to pride to anger and frustration. Matterhorn is without a doubt the best one I have read so far. It is a gritty, heavy, intense and emotional story following Waino Mellas, a young Marine lieutenant, and the rest of his fellow soldiers in Bravo Company in the Vietnam War. There is no sugar-coating the war in this book. Basing much of the book on his own experience, Marlantes brings the reader straight into the war and all the hardships it offers. He does not hold back from the tragedy and destruction that war brings. Marlantes doesn't hide anything; this book is graphic, and the soldiers can be quite vulgar at times. What else would you expect from war?

The battle scenes are incredibly detailed and action packed. The jungles are beautifully described, detailing the massive cliffsides, thick elephant grass and bamboo, the unbearable humidity and storms. There seems to be no rest in the jungles of Vietnam, and you truly feel the utter despair of traveling through these jungles. Marlantes heavily details the difficulties of being a solider. From jungle rot and other sicknesses, to having no food and water for days on end, to the utter relief they feel back at the base, he brings you into the war as much as a book can.

I truly felt connected to the characters, being exposed to their fears, desires, hopes and struggles. When they persevered and found success, I felt ecstatic for them. When they desperately needed help but didn't receive it or lost a member of the company, it felt crushing. The development of Mellas especially, was so well done. He goes from a relatively unsure soldier trying to make sure he makes the right choices to being an incredibly driven and passionate leader to his troops, doing anything he can to protect them. I think part of why it felt so difficult was because Marlantes based so much of this book on his own experience in Vietnam. That caused every chapter, every mission, and every unexpected outcome to feel like it had that much more weight. I am confident most, if not all, of the characters in this story that are named represent someone Marlantes went to war with. That makes them all feel so much more real to me.

The political side of the war was also very apparent and quite interesting in the story. Marlantes makes it very clear how many of the soldiers feel like the war is a waste, that it is nonsensical. The higher up a soldier was, the more Vietnam seems to be a career stepping stone and nothing more. The lower a solider was, the more they felt like a pawn in a promotion. There is a higher-ranked soldier in the story that I grew to despise. Every choice he made was selfish and destructive, making me audibly angry as I read. That feeling aligned with the rest of the company, he grew to despise him as well. There was also a lot of mention of fragging in the story, highlighting even more the anger and distrust the soldiers had with superiors. Fragging was, and still is, a real thing, and the term was originally coined during the Vietnam War. It is when soldiers purposefully kill (or attempt to kill) another soldier, normally a superior. Using a grenade makes it easier to cover up as an accident, whether it's in combat or not. The unrest and distrust that soldiers had of their superiors in Matterhorn caused so much dysfunction and unease and really pulled you to side with the soldiers.

If you love war stories or historical fiction, you have to read this book. You just have to. If you are unsure about war stories, this one may be a bit intense to start with. I promise you, though, that it is a masterpiece, and you will not regret coming back and reading it if you find yourself enjoying historical fiction.