Anatomy of a Soldier — Harry Parker

Here is the unforgettable story of Captain Tom Barnes, whom we first meet as he is leading British troops in Afghanistan. We then meet two young Afghani boys -- and the man who trains one of them to fight against the infidel invaders. Finally, there are the family and friends who radiate out from these lives: the people on all sides of a war where virtually everyone is caught up in something unthinkable. But this novel regards them not as they see themselves but as the objects surrounding them do: a helmet, a bag of fertilizer, a beer glass, dog tags -- and a horrific improvised explosive device that binds them all together by blowing one of them apart. A work of extraordinary humanity and hope, "Anatomy of a Soldier" takes its place among the great novels that articulate the lives of soldiers. In the boom of an instant, we see things we've never understood so clearly before.