“F.N.G.”
Author: Donald Bodey
I just finished reading my copy of “F.N.G.” by author Donald Bodey and I have to admit it wasn’t really my cup of tea. No, “F.N.G.” is not a terrible book. For the most part it’s well written and readers can definitely empathize with the various characters that have roles in this story. “F.N.G.” is also descriptive but unfortunately the writing style itself is extremely direct, clipped, and short which didn’t allow Bodey’s story to have that “flow” which is one of the major components that makes a “good” book “great.” I know there are some who appreciate and enjoy this type of terse writing style but I am not one of them; consequently “F.N.G.” read more like the short-hand version of a Vietnam Vet’s journal rather than the fictional, historical, and biographical story I think the author was intending it to be.
The premise of “F.N.G.” is this: Gabriel Sauers, the “F***ing New Guy,” has just arrived in the beautiful country of Vietnam. He’s still wet behind the ears and if he wants to survive this savage war he’s going to need to find his courage while still keeping his wits about him. He will have to face his enemy; he will have to go through incoming mortar fire and he will eventually become certain that Vietnam is hell. Forty years later Gabriel Sauers is now a “death-hardened veteran” and his grandson Seth is about to be deployed to Iraq. Knowing what awaits Seth; knowing that he will come back from Iraq a man forever changed by what he will have to see and endure, Gabriel wars with himself about taking an action that, on the one hand, will spare Seth from the Iraq war but, on the other hand, will have a lasting effect on his grandson and their relationship from that day forward. When it comes to war what’s really right and what’s really wrong? Does the line blur when you’re faced with the possibility of never seeing a friend or loved one again?
In summary I feel “F.N.G.” is an accurate accounting of one man’s life journey during the Vietnam War. While I wasn’t crazy about the writing style I would still say that the premise of “F.N.G.” was a good one and I would still recommend this book to readers who enjoy the War / Military genre or that historical time period.