A classic (in the USA) of the Vietnam War, it’s the story of Paco—sole survivor when his unit is wiped out. The story, which we later find is narrated by the ghost of another member of his unit—is told in language heavily redolent of the 60s, including not only American slang of the period but including a substantial amount of military slang as well (some, but not all, of which is explained). I found the voice off-putting at first but it grew on me with one notable exception. Heinemann has the narrator constantly refer to the reader (or the person listening to his story) as James. Heinemann considered the matter significant enough to devote an entire foreword explaining himself: “The ‘James’ comes from the custom of street folks engaging total strangers by calling them ‘Jim’ or ‘Jack’…in a jivy sort of way—if you were looking for directions or exact change for the bus or a light for your smoke, say. But since Paco’s story requires language more formal than street corner patois, I thought ‘James’ more apropos. I also had in mind the tongue-in-cheek punch line ‘Home, James’ [as spoken to an imaginary chauffeur].” This would be fine except that Heinemann employs it to absurd excess; there is hardly a page in the book without at least one “James”—sometimes even two or three times. It’s becomes intrusive and silly. That said, the story follows Paco from the battle and his subsequent hospitalization, though most of the book is about his wandering and temporary stay in a small town that could be anywhere. It is a powerful, affecting story but it is also very much a work of its time. It does not strike me as timeless, and—good as it is—I wonder how well it speaks to someone who knows little to nothing of the American war in Vietnam. I’d be very curious for others’ thoughts. [Final parenthetical thought: I was not entirely surprised to learn that Paco's Story won the National Book Award—a big deal in the USA—in 1987, but I was quite surprised to learn that it beat out the favorite: Toni Morrison’s Beloved.] ( )

Paco is a soldier in Vietnam who becomes the only survivor of his platoon when they get caught in a massive air strike. He himself barely survives and eventually makes it home to the states with his cane and his chronic pain as tokens of his service. His story - how he travels to some small Texas town because that's how much bus fare he had, finds work at a greasy spoon as a dishwasher, and has thoughts about the gal who lives down the hall from him - is told to the reader (addressed throughout as "James") by one of the other soldiers in that platoon, namely, a ghost.

I tend not to like war stories very much at all (or at least I've convinced myself that I don't, although the reality, I suspect, is that I dislike war *movies* but in fact do enjoy war *novels*). This one, then, was a pleasant surprise. I kinda loved it. Paco is an interesting character who is nicely but subtly fleshed out, and the ghost narrator trick is a nifty one that adds all sorts of complexity and complications to the story itself. Definitely recommended. ( )

5146. Paco's Story, by Larry Heinemann (read 7 Apr 2014) (National Book Award fiction prize for 1987) I read this because it won the 1987 National Book Award fiction prize. It is the 57th such winner I have read. It is a brutal every obscenity undeleted account of a guy who is horribly wounded in Vietnam but lives and returns to the U.S. and when discharged travels, and comes to a town named Boone, which is fictional since it is in Wyandotte County and no town named Boone is actually in any county called Wyandotte.. There he with little effort obtains a job as a dishwasher in one of the two restaurants in town. We are told a lot about his dishwashing work--more than I have ever read about such work before. He is a good worker but is bugged by a girl who rooms near his room--he never meets her but she and he are mighty curious about each other. The behavior of Americans in Vietnam is filled with description of their bad behavior, including rape and murder. There is nothing uplifting about the story as of course there is much not uplifting about the Vietnam War. I found the book dismal and not good reading. ( )

While this novel is about Vietnam, most of it takes place in the U.S. Paco is the only survivor of a battle although he is seriously wounded. He recovers but carries the physical and emotional baggage that comes with his experiences. Heinemann explores how his fellow Americans treated a return war vet especially one who shows the physical wounds and hints at the emotional ones below the surface. It is not always a pretty picture of America as she faces up to problems of the mainly blue collar men who fought in a war they did not believe in and now are coming home deeply wounded. Heinemann, who is a Vietnam vet, also wrote Close Quarters, a novel set in Vietnam and Black Virgin Mountain, a memoir in which he combines his war experiences with return visits to Vietnam in the 1990's to meet the people he fought during the war. ( )

In Larry Heineman's Paco's Story, Paco was the only surviving soldier after a raid that decimated his unit. With both physical and mental scars, Paco re-enters society, going through the motions of life. Readers are offered a glimpse at how a soldier from that war was treated upon his return, both with disdain and occasional pride. We get an inside look at the horrors of war, and Heineman pulls no punches in describing the war in brutal and honest terms.

Paco's Story began strong, one of those books I was sure would be a five star book by the time I finished. However, I was a little put off by the shifting voice of the narrator as the novel went on. It was inconsistent at times, and therefore a bit disjointed. It is still a powerful book, one I am glad I read, and deserves a high rating and much of the praise it has received. ( )