Review: Intriguing to say the least
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2013
I found "Year of the Monkey" to be unusually different from the many books published about the Vietnam War.  The first couple of chapters pulled me in - keeping me interested and anxious to find out what this soldier did to deserve the punishment he was awaiting. Once this hook was in place, the author takes everyone back to the beginning - where it all began.As a reporter for a military magazine, the lead character seems to have "Carte Blanche" with his duties and job responsibilities.  He is stationed in Long Binh with access to Saigon and a never-ending supply of drugs, beer and cigarettes.  When a Green Beret arrives, after reassignment to the Press Corps, there are many questions asked and no answers given.  He is quiet and keeps to himself - shrouded in mystery.The main character finds himself falling in love with a girl he meets in a Saigon bar.  She informs him that she is not a prostitute, but instead, a visiting student from a village down south in the Delta region.  She promises him that if he is able to come visit her in the Delta, she will take care of him like nobody has ever before.  Shortly after, as luck has it, he is assigned to a story near her village and soon hooks up with her.  Many things occur during this time, which causes the reader to second guess what is actually taking place.  Is he being set-up or is love getting the best of him?The CIA is involved, forcing him to spy on his new friend, the Green Beret.  Bits and pieces of his hidden identity are soon revealed - the reader soon learns that everyone is playing a role in a scheduled master plan.  Soon the big question from the beginning of the story is answered.  But did it really happen that way?Some parts of the book are slow-moving and repetitive, and in my opinion, the drug scenes are depicted much too frequently.  All-in-all "Year of the Monkey" is a suspenseful story and worth reading.John Podlaski, authorCherries: A Vietnam War Novel