PositiveThe Portland MercuryGrunt isn't a textbook masquerading as creative nonfiction, but a legitimately enjoyable romp through the back alleys of military science ... There's a certain coarse poetry to Roach's style that you'll find either delightful or horrifying, depending on your sensibilities. I was in the former camp for most of Grunt, though I will admit that the image of arctic explorers walking on their own sloughed-off flesh 'like Dr. Scholl's cushioning inserts,' and a medical cadaver's severed penis held up like 'a baby's sweater' have done my dreamlife no favors ... nestled in between all the blood and guts (and spit and sweat and semen and poo) are plenty of drier but no less fascinating topics ... Roach probably isn't going to be your jam if you require a high degree of reverence when discussing these subjects. She's not an academic lecturer or military-industrial boffin. Roach is your buddy in the bar bathroom of military science, cheerily explaining how some guys in the '80s literally exploded from explosive decompression.
