Temoral Reviews: War Trash
War Trash is the PEN/Faulkner winner by Ha Jin. This is the first novel of his that I've read, and I must say I'm impressed. The novel is in the form of a memoir by a Chinese POW from the Korean War. I am not terribly familiar with this part of history (Chinese/Korean issues in the late 40s early 50s). Yu Yuan, the narrator, is a member of the Chinese army, although he not a Communist party member. When he gets captured, he must negotiate the warring factions of Chinese (Communists and Nationalists) when his only desire is to return to his elderly mother and his young fiance.
The novel ends up being fairly existential, where we learn that all of the struggles the POWs go through are rather meaningless, as the capriciousness of the universe has more influence in their fates than their actions. It is the struggles that define these POWs as men...they are ultimately defined by their choices.
It is clear that even though Ha Jin has studied the actual lives of Chinese POWs, he is nonetheless illuminating the current situation and events in the world today. The horrors and challenges these men face are appalling, yet Ha Jin's storytelling is urgent and relentless....we keep reading because we have to.
An excellent read.
