Spoils : a novel

**"A wondrously nuanced book" (Omar El Akkad, author of __American War__) that reads like __The Kite Runner__ meets __The Things They Carried__ as it maps the blurred lines between good and bad, soldier and civilian, victor and vanquished.**It is April 2003. American forces have taken Baghdad and are now charged with winning hearts and minds. But this vital tipping point is barely recognized for what it is, as a series of miscalculations and blunders fuels an already-smoldering insurgency intent on making Iraq the next graveyard of empires.In dazzling and propulsive prose, Brian Van Reet explores the lives on both sides of the battle lines: Cassandra, a nineteen-year-old gunner on an American Humvee who is captured during a deadly firefight and awakens in a prison cell; Abu al-Hool, a lifelong mujahedeen beset by a simmering crisis of conscience as he struggles against enemies from without and within, including the next wave of far more radicalized jihadists; and Specialist Sleed, a tank crewman who goes along with a "victimless" crime, the consequences of which are more awful than any he could have imagined.Depicting a war spinning rapidly out of control, destined to become a modern classic, __Spoils__ is an unsparing and morally complex novel that chronicles the achingly human cost of combat. "The finest Iraq War novel yet written by an American" - Wall Street Journal , 10 Best Novels of the Year An "electrifying debut" ( The Economist ) that maps the blurred lines between good and evil, soldier and civilian, victor and vanquished. Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence It is April 2003. American forces have taken Baghdad and are now charged with winning hearts and minds. But this vital tipping point is barely recognized for what it is, as a series of miscalculations and blunders fuels an already-simmering insurgency intent on making Iraq the next graveyard of empires. In dazzling and propulsive prose, Brian Van Reet explores the lives on both sides of the battle lines: Cassandra, a nineteen-year-old gunner on an American Humvee who is captured during a deadly firefight and awakens in a prison cell; Abu al-Hool, a lifelong mujahedeen beset by a simmering crisis of conscience as he struggles against enemies from without and within, including the next wave of far more radicalized jihadists; and Specialist Sleed, a tank crewman who goes along with a "victimless" crime, the consequences of which are more awful than any he could have imagined. Depicting a war spinning rapidly out of control, destined to become a modern classic, Spoils is an unsparing and morally complex novel that chronicles the human cost of combat. This highly charged debut transports readers to Fallujah during the Iraq War, where, with scalpel-like precision and extraordinary empathy for his characters, Van Reet casts an unflinching eye on the theater of war and on the blurred lines between good and bad, soldier and civilian, and victor and vanquished. Spoils depicts a few short weeks in the lives of three people involved in the war in drastically different ways. Cassandra, an American soldier, is captured from her artillery unit during a firefight and forced to endure a brutal captivity as a POW. Abu Al-Hool is a fierce mujahedeen, a veteran of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Chechnya, whose power is being eroded by the next wave of super-radicalized jihadists (those brutal enough to behead their prisoners ... and circulate the video to the world). Finally, there is Sleed, a young soldier haunted by the knowledge that he was searching one of Sadaam's palaces for a gold-toilet-seat souvenir as his fellow soldiers were ambushed. In dazzling prose, Van Reet maps the vivid interior lives and traces the motivations and desires of these combatants on both sides of a war that is spinning increasingly out of control. The result is an unsparing and unforgettable novel that belongs alongside modern war classics such as The Yellow Birds, Redeployment, and The Things They Carried "A wondrously nuanced book" (Omar El Akkad, author of American War ) that reads like The Kite Runner meets The Things They Carried as it maps the blurred lines between good and bad, soldier and civilian, victor and vanquished. It is April 2003. American forces have taken Baghdad and are now charged with winning hearts and minds. But this vital tipping point is barely recognized for what it is, as a series of miscalculations and blunders fuels an already-smoldering insurgency intent on making Iraq the next graveyard of empires. In dazzling and propulsive prose, Brian Van Reet explores the lives on both sides of the battle lines: Cassandra, a nineteen-year-old gunner on an American Humvee who is captured during a deadly firefight and awakens in a prison cell; Abu al-Hool, a lifelong mujahedeen beset by a simmering crisis of conscience as he struggles against enemies from without and within, including the next wave of far more radicalized jihadists; and Specialist Sleed, a tank crewman who goes along with a "victimless" crime, the consequences of which are more awful than any he could have imagined. Depicting a war spinning rapidly out of control, destined to become a modern classic, Spoils is an unsparing and morally complex novel that chronicles the achingly human cost of combat. It is April 2003. American forces have taken Baghdad and are now charged with winning hearts and minds. But this vital tipping point is barely recognized for what it is, as a series of miscalculations and blunders fuels an already-simmering insurgency intent on making Iraq the next graveyard of empires. In dazzling and propulsive prose, Brian Van Reet explores the lives on both sides of the battle lines: Cassandra, a nineteen-year-old gunner on an American Humvee who is captured during a deadly firefight and awakens in a prison cell; Abu Al-Hool, a lifelong mujahedeen beset by a simmering crisis of conscience as he struggles against enemies from without and within, including the new wave of far more radicalized jihadists; and Specialist Sleed, a tank crewman who goes along with a'victimless'crime, the consequences of which are more awful than any he could have imagined. Depicting a war spinning rapidly out of control, destined to become a modern classic, Spoils is an unsparing and morally complex novel that chronicles the achingly human cost of combat.'The finest Iraq War novel yet written by an American'-Wall Street Journal, 10 Best Novels of the Year'An electrifying debut'(The Economist) that maps the blurred lines between good and evil, soldier and civilian, victor and vanquished. It Is April 2003. American Forces Have Taken Baghdad And Are Now Charged With Winning Hearts And Minds. But This Vital Tipping Point Is Barely Recognized For What It Is, As A Series Of Miscalculations And Blunders Fuels An Already Smoldering Insurgency Intent Of Making Iraq The Next Graveyard Of Empires. This Novel Explores The Lives On Both Sides Of The Battle Lines: Cassandra Wigheard, A Nineteen-year-old Gunner On An American Humvee Who Is Captured During A Deadly Firefight And Awakens In A Prison Cell; Abu Al-hool, A Lifelong Mujahideen Beset By A Simmering Crisis Of Conscience As He Struggles Against Enemies From Without And Within, Including The Next Wave Of Far More Radicalized Jihadists; And Specialist Sleed, A Tank Crewman Who Goes Along With A Victimless Crime, The Consequences Of Which Are More Awful Than Any He Could Have Imagined. Brian Van Reet. A Lee Boudreaux Book. A tale told from the rotating viewpoints of three characters on both sides of the fighting lines during the war in Iraq explores the motivations of military and religious soldiers whose fates are profoundly impacted by a decision that spins out of control