Matterhorn

Matterhorn is a novel of the Vietnam War in which a company of Marines builds, abandons and retakes an outpost on a remote hilltop. It’s told from the point of view of Lieutenant Mellas, a college kid who realizes too late that “because of his desire to look good coming home from war, he might never come home at all.”

Karl Marlantes, a highly decorated Marine Corps officer and Vietnam veteran, spent 30 years writing it. His persistence paid off: many have called this the definitive novel of the Vietnam War.

Bronson Pinchot was selected by Audible as Narrator of the Year in 2010 for his reading, and no argument here: he is excellent. I was particularly impressed with the distinct voices he gave the large cast of characters.

The spaces between the battles create the real terror of Matterhorn.

I haven’t listened to many war stories, but Audible chose Matterhorn as its Audiobook of the Year for 2010 and I loved Unbroken, so I gave it a go. It took me a little while to get into the story, probably because of the large cast and the military jargon, but eventually I was hooked.

It’s not always an easy listen. You’re taken to the front lines of a brutal war and experience all the despair, futility and stupidity that comes with it. On the flip side, there is plenty of heroism, brotherhood and sacrifice.

The combat scenes are gripping and tense, and Marlantes is also able to rise above the fray with musings on the nature of life that are insightful and at times poetic. Interestingly, the spaces between the battle scenes, the pre-combat tension and rear-echelon politics, are the best parts of the audiobook.

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