by Bobbie Ann Mason
This is a tough, first-rate novel by the author of the memorable Shiloh and Other Stories, published in 1982. Its details build effectively. The heroine of In Country is Sam—Samantha Hughes, a 17-year-old in Hopewell, Ky. Her father died in Vietnam before she was born, and now her mother has moved to Lexington and had a new baby. Sam feels a heavy weight of responsibility for her uncle, a Vietnam vet, who can't work and may be suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. The two love to watch M*A*S*H reruns on TV—even though they have memorized nearly all of them. Sam has also memorized her mother's Beatles records and dreams that one day she'll be selected by Bruce Springsteen to dance with him on the stage. Sam has a boyfriend, but she's outgrowing him fast; mostly she wants a car. Slowly Sam becomes obsessed with learning about her father and how he died, about why some men went to Vietnam and others didn't, and why those who came back seemed to be pitifully scarred for life. This is a penetrating book on a serious subject, yet Mason is also a wonderfully funny writer with a flawless down-home voice that perfectly echoes rural speech. When Sam's grandmother gives her a journal that her father kept during the fighting, the young woman begins to discover the truth she had been seeking. The ending is unexpected and as beautifully moving as it is satisfying. (Harper & Row, $15.95)
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