Redeployment

By: Phil Klay

Narrated by: Craig Klein

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction

Selected as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post Book World, Amazon, and more.

Phil Klay's Redeployment takes listeners to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos.

In "Redeployment", a soldier who has had to shoot dogs because they were eating human corpses must learn what it is like to return to domestic life in suburbia, surrounded by people "who have no idea where Fallujah is, where three members of your platoon died". In "After Action Report", a Lance Corporal seeks expiation for a killing he didn't commit, in order that his best friend will be unburdened. A Morturary Affairs Marine tells about his experiences collecting remains - of US and Iraqi soldiers both. A chaplain sees his understanding of Christianity, and his ability to provide solace through religion, tested by the actions of a ferocious colonel. And in the darkly comic "Money as a Weapons System", a young Foreign Service Officer is given the absurd task of helping Iraqis improve their lives by teaching them to play baseball. These stories reveal the intricate combination of monotony, bureaucracy, comradeship and violence that make up a soldier's daily life at war, and the isolation, remorse, and despair that can accompany a soldier's homecoming.

Redeployment has become a classic in the tradition of war writing. Across nations and continents, Klay sets in devastating relief the two worlds a soldier inhabits: One of extremes and one of loss. Written with a hard-eyed realism and stunning emotional depth, this work marks Phil Klay as one of the most talented new voices of his generation.

©2014 Phil Klay (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Redeployment is hilarious, biting, whipsawing, and sad. It’s the best thing written so far on what the war did to people’s souls.” (Dexter Filkins, The New York Times Book Review)

Each Story Hits Hard at the Heart

Many times I'll buy a collection of short stories and read/listen to 3, one of which is good and the others afflicted by such eccentricities and affectations that I cannot get past the thought (which seems confirmed by research on the writer) that these are foibles foisted on the writer by one MFA program or another, or by trying too hard to come up with a ingenious story.

While I believe Mr. Klay has an MFA in creative writing, his writing is true and powerful because, it seems to me, he writes what he knows and what he knows has struck him in a way that he cannot help but write stories from the heart that are genuine and profound.

I highly recommend these stories, each of which moved me.

A look behind the scenes of war

An engaging if disturbing look behind the scenes of the lives of modern warriors. The multiple perspectives combine to create an incredible picture.

War on the Inside

As an audio experience it was a little confusing because I never know when one story ended and another began. all in all a fascinating look at the impact of war before during and after.

Enlightening

Where does Redeployment rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Unique in it's genre

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like the variety of characters in the different stories

What does Craig Klein bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Deep knowledge, respect for all backgrounds, entertainment and leaves you thinking about our policies and the sacrifices of a few for all of the rest.

Any additional comments?

Excellent

Fantastic writer and writing mentor

I’m a writer, and I have two books written. Phil Klay is currently helping me to edit my first book, and his advice is phenomenal! This is my first time I’m listening to his audiobook. For a collection of short stories, I didn’t want his writing to end.

Good but....

Many good observations and insights but became very repetitive in content and syntax. Could have easily been a magazine article.

Captivating violence and introspection

Abrasive and realistic. Both the story and the audiobook performance of the story are very well done.

Excellent moments

The stories varied in holding my interest. As a non-military person, after awhile I just let my mind skip over all the abbreviations which were like a foreign language. That said, this civilian gained an appreciation for the difficulty returning troops have adjusting to their new normal.

If the chapters had been either titled, or simply delineated by number, it would have been easier to follow.

A Broad Look at the Humanity of Soldiers/Veterans

What made the experience of listening to Redeployment the most enjoyable?

The performer did a great job of distinguishing different characters and adding emotion into his voice where necessary to make listening to the book very engaging.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Redeployment?

One of the most memorable things about Redeployment is the way in which war was described from the perspective of these soldiers/veterans. You could recognize their attempt to distance themselves emotionally and find a way to cope.

What does Craig Klein bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He distinguished the different characters and stories very well. He brought and energy to the story that provided more of an emotional context that was easier to follow by hearing than if I want to attempt to formulate one on my own.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was not. The story were emotionally intense and I wanted to take a moment to try a digest what I could in smaller portions.

Tough but worthwhile read

A review of this book called it “hardcore”, an accurate description, in that Klay often puts the reader in the middle of the action. It’s not a fun place to be, and your heart goes out to the poor confused bastards who have to deal not only with the horrors of War, but also with the ignorance and stupidity of their leaders and the ugly cruelty of their comrades.

In one sense it’s a very typical War memoir, but Klay’s blunt, unadorned prose delivers an authentic sounding voice describing an unimaginable scene that tears at the soldiers’ souls. And it tore at mine as well.

I found the Chaplain’s story very effective in that it spanned the fighter’s vision and the mind and heart of a servant trying to minister.

Redeployment is real. And like the War it depicts, tough to endure. But I’m glad I read it. Four Stars.