Conveniently, the novel Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien fits perfectly with my exploration of narratives and perspectives. Obviously I'm going to use it in my project.
The back cover reads, "So wrote the New York Times of Tim O'Brien's now classic novel of Vietnam. Winner of the 1979 National Book Award, Going After Cacciato captures the peculiar mixture of horror and hallucination that marked this strangest of wars. In a blend of reality and fantasy, this novel tells the story of a young soldier who one day lays down his rifle and sets off on a quixotic journey from the jungles of Indochina to the streets of Paris. In its memorable evocation of men both fleeing from and meeting the demands of battle, Going After Cacciato stands as much more than just a great war novel. Ultimately it's about the forces of fear and heroism that do battle in the hearts of us all."
The story is told from the perspective of a soldier named Paul Berlin, but also includes multiple characters that are continuously in the novel from start to finish. Tim O'Brien conveys his war stories through three different mediums. There is the "Going After Cacciato" story, the "The Observation Tower" stories, and stories from Paul Berlin's past all by different chapters.
Since this this novel has such a unique structure, it is only fitting that I use it in my independent reading project. Although there are multiple sequences in the story, it maintains common themes. It addresses the puzzling line between what is reality vs. fantasy and also addresses the topic of desertion through it's nonlinear narrative.
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