RaveThe Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThe war fiction writer is in a tough place; you have to get your reader to know some military procedures and technology without bogging down the story. Mr. Van Reet, who served as a tank crewman in Iraq, does an incredible job of doing this while keeping the story and characters top priority ... It is amazing how much depth and history is covered within such a dizzy pace. Everyone has a say, including a Somali cabdriver and three Iraqi stray dogs. In a history book, the ideologies would feel static. Mr. Van Reet shows them as they truly exist: ambiguous, in constant flux, tried by events ... Good writers such as Mr. Van Reet, who can bring together all the viewpoints, help us think better about these events, especially as they get solidified in history and overtaken by more recent events, ideologies and actors.
Eric Fair
MixedThe Pittsburgh Post-GazetteMr. Fair’s writing style is workshop writing and sometimes it can get in the way of the narrative. Here though, the constant present tense, piling up of details and terse delivery help cut through the complexity of his experiences. The dark humor helps too.
