Gregory W. Bitz. War Hangover. 1987.

The hand-drawn cover, obscure press, and large typeface make this book look dubious, like an idealistic vanity publication from the early 1970s. But a glance at the table of contents lets you know that a structural experiment is taking place, and the novel tells no story, deploying its strangeness in numbered and titled fragments and aphorisms. The writing style is the vanishing point where simplicity meets ambiguity. The noncommercial design is sensitive and a pleasure to read. Because this book is unique, and because I'm down with the underdog, when I make the Vietnam War reading list I'm going to put this above Dispatches and Dien Cai Dau.

April 23, 2006