Fives and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre

Fives and Twenty-Fives

Michael Pitre

Following a tour of duty in Iraq, the lives of three young men are irrevocably changed forever. The candid way in which wartime Iraq is recounted gave me an insight into just how hard it really was for those on the frontline. This is no Hollywood epic romanticised for a civilian audience. Rather, I found it to be a revealing account, refreshingly told from both sides of the conflict.

Extract
I don’t have the discipline to drink around people and answer their simple questions without saying something awful. Even the memories that seem funny in my head come out sounding like the summer vacation of a psychopath. It’s even worse, though, when I just sit there quietly and refuse to discuss the war at all. People get the impression that I’m the stereotypical brooding vet.
Parallels
  • The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
  • Regeneration by Pat Barker
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Violence