Juiceboxers – Benjamin Hertwig

Simply put, this amazing first novel is one of the best books I have read this year. It is unquestionably a “guy book” because all the major characters are male. In 1999 in Edmonton, four remarkably different “boys” meet as cadets; they are not really friends but have a type of camaraderie. Then there is army training and finally deployment to Afghanistan in 2005. Hertwig describes the Army mood and male behaviour perfectly: boredom, a lack of purpose, too much drinking and pornography, and yes, racism and bloodlust. And then there is the senseless violence of war, the chaos of conflict. Finally, there is the brutal aftermath of war, with PTSD. Hertwig’s writing is evocative with brilliant metaphors. Highly recommended, a must read book.