A review by tommooney
The Long Take by Robin Robertson
4.0
A wonderful experiment and a beautiful, harrowing account of PTSD.
A Canadian soldier suffering terribly from the effects of WW2 tries to build a life for himself in LA. He finds work as a reporter but is haunted constantly by memories of what he has seen and done. And the reminders are everywhere - explosions as buildings are torn down and rebuilt; new year's celebration fireworks; scores of homeless, drunk vets on the streets.
This is a bleak and brutal tale which, written mostly as a longform poem, could have been gimmicky. But it works wonderfully. Telling a novel-length story in this way opens new doors where others close. Sure, characterisation is harder in this format, but a new world of imagery is suddenly possible. Some sections describing the city are as beautiful as any I've read. And the flashbacks to WW2 battlefields are shocking, raw and hugely affecting.
Killer ending, too.
A Canadian soldier suffering terribly from the effects of WW2 tries to build a life for himself in LA. He finds work as a reporter but is haunted constantly by memories of what he has seen and done. And the reminders are everywhere - explosions as buildings are torn down and rebuilt; new year's celebration fireworks; scores of homeless, drunk vets on the streets.
This is a bleak and brutal tale which, written mostly as a longform poem, could have been gimmicky. But it works wonderfully. Telling a novel-length story in this way opens new doors where others close. Sure, characterisation is harder in this format, but a new world of imagery is suddenly possible. Some sections describing the city are as beautiful as any I've read. And the flashbacks to WW2 battlefields are shocking, raw and hugely affecting.
Killer ending, too.