The Nuclear Age

With every novel, whether it is his best writing or just under par, Tim O'Brien proves himself to be a master storyteller. His words spring to vivid life in the reader's mind; his characters as enthralling as they are flawed; his stories slightly absurd and complex, but always rewarding, no matter how strange the journey. "The Nuclear Age" begins with the main character, William Cowling, waking at midnight to dig a bomb shelter in his backyard. In the morning, his wife and daughter are far from pleased, certain that he has gone insane when he can't explain his actions. The story then shifts back in time to recount William's childhood, the nightly terrors of nuclear war that had him building a bomb shelter under the ping pong table in the basement and caused his parents to worry about him. The reader follows William as he ages, ever the outcast on the fringes. With the onset of the war in Vietnam, William finds new purpose, and perhaps a dangerous alliance. The bulk of the narrative takes place in William's past, with the coalition of renegade friends who plan sabotage as a means of war protest, while William is hiding out, having dodged the draft. The war in Vietnam is never far from O'Brien's writing, so it is interesting to have a story that takes place on the homefront, although the war is ever present. The story takes a turn for the absurd when William fears his bomb shelter will cause him to lose his family, but O'Brien crafts such a cunning story that the loose ends are tied up. "The Nuclear Age" is a demonstration of O'Brien's wit, with laugh-out-loud moments, and the subtle way he can strike a message home is a testament to his intelligence.

I was intrigued in reading the plot of this book as it is posted on the back cover. I have read some of O'Brien's other work and was very impressed. This book is among his best work. The best comparison I could give is that it is a combination of Dr. Strangelove and Catch-22. It is both witty and intelligent commentary on the culture of war. William's Cowling's greatest fear is nuclear war. Since childhood, he has attempted to allude death in a nuclear fallout. It was during childhood that he built a shelter under the ping-pong table in his parents' basement. The consequences of his childhood behavior are among the more amusing scenes in the book. His fear subsides until the Vietnam protests of the 60's reawaken his phobia. He creates a gang of protestors, who eventually go into hiding to avoid the draft with him. Among these characters is Sarah, who is the most vivid character in the book. She is the woman who thinks she knows what she wants, but really has no clue. After the series of flashbacks, we return to the present in which William is again struck with fear. The fear causes him dig a massive hole for a fallout shelter. His family thinks he has gone insane. His wife, a somewhat distant amateur poet, never speaks to him. The main dialogue in the present is between William and his daughter. His daughter swears like a sailor, but serves as her father's voice of rationality. William's further breakdown and eventual recovery pose a number of interesting scenarios. "The Nuclear Age" is wildly entertaining and certainly a book I will recommend to many.

I was introduced to this book by my girlfriend, who picked it up randomly because she liked the cover. Turns out she loved the book, which inspired me to read it as well. This book ended up being a great introduction to O'Brien, in some ways lighter than many of his other works, but it still has of the undertones common to many of his books. Because Vietnam is not as key to this book as many of the other ones, I think it's more accessible to the general populace. So if you are weary about reading war books, you could pick this one up first, and if you like it, maybe move on to some of his other novels.

The Nuclear age was a wonderful book. I found it interesting, inveloping, inchanting, and not to mention scary. I have always found Tim's books to be like that, but I'll tell you one thing, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Again, Mr. O'Brien finds a way to horrify you and touch your heart tenderly at the same time. O'Brien truly writes from the heart. The result is often gut-wrenchingly painful. There are points in every one of his novels at which I have had to put the book down and go about other business because of the amount of pain that rides along whenever you pick up a Tim O'Brien book. And yet reading through one of his books, all the way to the conclusion is always a cathartic experience. The Nuclear Age is no exception. The protagonist, William Cowling, is a tortured individual who never quite comes to terms with his society or himself. O'Brien crafts him with a tender touch and a healthy dose of inner demons. Darkly comic, yet psychologically horrific...strap yourself in, it's a hell of a ride