Product Description

In this critically acclaimed debut novel, the aftermath of war in all its power is revealed in the lives of survivors and their loved ones. Mark, a young war photographer, returns to New York after being injured in a brush fire. Shell-shocked, torn apart by grief and guilt, he finds that his experiences have created a gulf between himself and his loved ones. The first to notice is his girlfriend, Elena, who grows increasingly alarmed as his condition continues to deteriorate. She is the most surprised when her grandfather, Joaquin, the last person from whom Elena wants to accept help, turns out to be the one to understand Mark's trauma. The two men -- bearers of grievously deep secrets -- forge an extraordinary relationship that will ultimately lead to life-altering revelations.

This stunning novel is informed by Scott Anderson's experiences reporting on combat around the globe. Triage introduces a major new voice in American fiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #598589 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Amazon.com Review
There's a whole lot of triage going on in Scott Anderson's debut novel. First, there is the triage at the small Kurdish hospital where Mark Walsh, a wounded American war photographer, has been brought, in the wake of a battle between Kurdish separatists and Iraqi troops: those men deemed unlikely to survive by the woefully overworked and underequipped doctor in charge are summarily shot. Then there is the triage Mark himself performs after returning to the States as he goes through his various shots, sorting out which images will make the cut. Finally, there is the central mystery of what Mark saw and did during his time in Kurdistan--events so traumatic they continue to haunt him even after his physical wounds have healed. Though there appears to be no medical reason for it, Mark can't walk, and his Spanish girlfriend, Elena, is eventually forced to accept help from her estranged grandfather, Joachim--a psychiatrist who helped "purify" the consciences of Franco's fascist officers following the Spanish civil war.

Eventually the three travel together to Spain, where Mark, with Joachim's help, must face the secret he cannot bear to remember. As Joachim and Mark slowly forge a relationship with each other, they also strengthen their separate bonds to Elena. But as each man reveals his experience of war to the other, it becomes clear that when well-intentioned men commit evil acts--even for the best of reasons--there will always be a high price to pay.

From Publishers Weekly
Journalist Anderson (The 4 O'Clock Murders) explores the difficulties of redemption in his austere, moving first novel, the story of a war photographer's recovery from a mind-altering head injury. Five weeks after he has been sent to cover a minor war in Kurdistan during the late 1980s, Mark Walsh is incapacitated by shrapnel from an artillery explosion and must return to New York to the care of his girlfriend, Elena Morales. Instead of recovering, Mark loses his sanity in stages, as merely quirky behavior (a false laugh, a non sequitur) escalates into derangement. Elena's grandfather, Joaquin, is a psychiatrist who, during the Franco regime, eased fascist war criminals' guilt after the Spanish Civil War. Although Elena is at first reluctant to allow him to counsel Mark, the two eventually embark upon an examination of Mark's wartime experiences. As Joaquin helps Mark to unblock his memory and discover the truth behind a friend's "disappearance" in Kurdistan, the elder survivor must grapple with the reality of his own past, questioning whether or not his acts of forgiveness were themselves forgivable. The narrative is at its best during Mark's reminiscences of battle, obviously growing from Anderson's own experiences as a wartime journalist; clear, simple diction combines with blazing imagery in these sections to achieve an eerie but alluring calm. At other times, Anderson's journalistic impulse is a detriment, as he summarizes rather than evokes characters' feelings. Yet several characters have sufficient depth to hold our interest. Joaquin is particularly intriguing, both detestable and magnetic. Coupling a provocative premise with a fine moral sensibility, Anderson has produced a memorable tale of two eras. Rights sold in France, Holland, Germany, U.K.; film rights to Mario Kassar Productions/Paramount Pictures. (Oct.) FYI: Anderson is a contributing editor at Harper's.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Anderson, an award-winning war correspondent and contributing editor at Harper's magazine, has crafted a first novel of extraordinary depth and beauty. Following a brush with death in the isolated hills of Kurdistan, a young war photographer finds himself increasingly paralyzed?in both the physical and emotional sense. In desperation, his Spanish girlfriend makes a call that brings her estranged grandfather to New York. He is a pseudo-psychologist who treated traumatized fascist veterans of the Spanish Civil War, which left him with scars of his own. Together, they all begin a difficult journey of reconciliation and healing?one that takes them not only back to Spain but into the deepest reaches of the human experience. Anderson manages to avoid the maudlin; the horrors of war, the pain of grief and guilt, the redemptive power of love, and the healing that truth brings are realistically and tellingly portrayed. Reminiscent of Hemingway, this is a superb effort reflecting a real understanding of the consequences of war on the psyche. Essential.?David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, FL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Beautifully written
I am a teacher of senior English at a country high school in Australia, and we were as always searching for a novel that will both enlighten and engage. After months of frustrating searching we happened upon this little book and thought, "At last! - something truly human and significant." Its value lies in its apparent simplicity and its small cast of well drawn characters. But of course the novel has an authority and depth of intellect that make for a most satisfying experience. There is much to consider here - the way we hide behind the comforting distortions of the past, our collective amnesia when faced with the facts of atrocity and our complicty in it, the moral ambiguities of war - among others.

All this would be just so much interesting speculation were it not for the compelling narrative that gradually unfolds. It is Anderson's artistry and his sympathy for all his characters, no matter their background, that challenges us also. Their needs and conflicts, their struggle against the despair and lonliness that are ever-present, their search for resolution and forgiveness, are entirely engrossing. Anderson's lack of sentimentality and his unwillingness to fall back upon the evasions of comfortable middle-class morality add to the novel's conviction. Great stuff.

I only hope that our students come to admire this book as we do. As for possible readers, this is one to savour and enjoy. If you allow it, it will stay with you for a long time after you finish the final page.

I read it in one sitting.
Anderson has created a mesmerizing tale that feels all too true. Beautifully written, he addresses the timeless issue of war's impact on its survivors, of innocence lost. Characters in "Triage" tackle the greatest questions in philosophical inquiry -- the nature of man, the nature/existence of God -- with unflinching honesty.

Although partially set in the region of Kurdistan, the war described could easily be any war -- a subject Anderson does not attempt to romanticize. In a perfect world, this story would never have to be told. In a perfect world, there would be no battlefields, no need for triages. Anyone who has been to a battle front, or knows someone who has, should read this book as it illustrates beautifully how war is never over for its victims, and that no one gets out completely unscathed.

an intense, harrowing novel
If you have ever wondered what it might be like to witness some of the horrors perpetrated around the world on a daily basis, Scott Anderson's "Triage" will give you some idea. And, like his main character, you as a reader will be haunted by what you have encountered. I finished Anderson's novel three days ago, and I still can't get it out of my mind.

Covering everything from conflict in the current "Kurdistan," to the lingering effects of the Spanish Civil War, I found Anderson's first effort hard to put down. As the world faces more and more atrocities in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, etc., the lessons of "Triage" are current and relevant. Anderson shows us that not only must perpetrators of crimes live with what they have done, but all of us who have witnessed their crimes must find a way to cope as well.

Although the novel is not perfect (as some reviewers have pointed out, the psychological portrait of the protagonist seems incomplete), it is certainly worth your time. Many reviewers have compared Anderson's writing to Hemingway's, but in my mind "Triage" elicits direct comparisons to Leslie Silko's contemporary classic "Ceremony," another novel about a character coping with the evil that has been revealed in the world, an evil that cannot be overcome or run from.

Finally, I feel that I can give "Triage" the ultimate compliment--it is a page-turner that I could not wait to finish, yet I didn't want to because the experience of reading it was so intense.