In Country: A Novel (P.S.) - Softcover

Mason, Bobbie Ann

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060835176 ISBN 13: 9780060835170

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2005

Synopsis

In the summer of 1984, the war in Vietnam came home to Sam Hughes, whosefather was killed there before she was born. The soldier-boy in the picture never changed. In a way that made him dependable. But he seemed so innocent. "Astronauts have been to the moon," she blurted out to the picture. "You missed Watergate. I was in the second grade."

She stared at the picture, squinting her eyes, as if she expected it to cometo life. But Dwayne had died with his secrets. Emmett was walking around with his. Anyone who survived Vietnam seemed to regard it as something personal andembarrassing. Granddad had said they were embarrassed that they were still alive. "I guess you're not embarrassed," she said to the picture.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Seventeen-year-old Sam Hughes lives in a small town in Kentucky. Her father was killed in Vietnam and her gentle, traumatized Uncle Emmett is suffering with her from delayed acne or the effects of the dreaded Agent Orange.

Sam's growing awareness of the reality of the war, of the scars and the guilt, becomes an obsession when she falls in love with Tom at a Veteran's dance. Through her father's letters home and the journal he kept 'in country', Sam begins a journey of exploration that takes her across America and helps her to come to terms with the past.

"I am still under the spell of 'In Country'. It really is a wonderful experience, starting right on the first page."
ANNE TYLER

"Brilliantly assured... an eloquent and moving statement about the bigotry, paranoia and eccentricity of small-town America, infused with perfectly judged levels of sympathy, humour and shrewdness. Exceptional."
TIME OUT

"Bobbie Ann Mason's theme is an explosive one. A courageous and poignant novel."
LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS

"'In Country' is a very funny book. Bobbie Ann Mason has an unerring ear for dialogue and a quick eye for the small, foolish detail that makes her characters completely real."
DAILY TELEGRAPH

"An exceptional achievement, at once humane and moving... sharp and brilliant."
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

About the Author:

Bobbie Ann Mason has won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her books include In Country and Feather Crowns. She lives in her native Kentucky.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0060835176
• ISBN 13: 9780060835170
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272