Going After Cacciato

by Tim O'Brien

Winner of the National Book Award, `Going After Cacciato' captures the peculiar mixture of horror and hallucination that marked the Vietnam War, this strangest of wars.

In a blend of reality and fantasy, this novel tells the story of a young soldier who one day lays down his rifle and sets off on a quixotic journey from the jungles of Indochina to the streets of Paris.

In its memorable evocation of men both fleeing from and meeting the demands of battle, `Going After Cacciato' stands as much more than just a great war novel. Ultimately it's about the forces of fear and heroism that do battle in the hearts of us all.

• ISBN10: 0440029481
• ISBN13: 9780440029489
• Publish Date: 1 February 1978 (first published 1 January 1978)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 22 February 2012
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 338
• Language: English

Reviews

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

It took me awhile to get use the way the book was written and when I finally did, I realized I didn't care what happened to the characters. There was nothing wrong with the story or the why this novel was written. I think it was more my fault I wasn't enjoying the book.

The book follows the story of a group of men chasing after a man who has gone AWOL (Cacciato) but it has becomes apparent that Cacciato doesn't exist, in fact this is playing out in Berlin's mind. A man, who has gone through a lot of trauma in the war and has found a physiological escape.