New Yorker Fiction Review #197: "Crossing the River No Name" by Will Mackin


Review of a short story from the June 5 & 12 issue of The New Yorker...

A recognizable style -- whether it's in writing, music, art, film, fashion -- is the hallmark of a true professional. Five years ago, on this blog, I read and reviewed Will Mackin's short story "Kattekoppen," about the war in Afghanistan. It's a testament to the distinctiveness of Mackin's style and talent that, even five years on, reading this story, I thought back to "Kattekoppen" and knew, without even checking, that both stories had been written by the same author. 

Will Mackin's material is war. Specifically, the war in Afghanistan. I've heard it said that it takes about eight to 10 years for really good writing about a war to start coming out, and Mackin has quickly positioned himself as one of the foremost bards to come out of the seemingly decade-long war in Afghanistan. 

In "Crossing the River No Name," Mackin writes about being part of an intercept party sent to hunt down a group of Taliban on the move across the plains in the aftermath of heavy rains. His unit come to a heavily flooded river in the middle of a field, at night, and must cross it. As the main character encounters some difficulties crossing the river, he thinks back to an incident that happened to him in high school and wonders if maybe he has used up all of his luck.

From a purely "story" perspective, "Crossing the River No Name" is a perfect example of: "It doesn't matter where you're going as long as you are entertained while you're getting there." The resolution of the story's "plot" was incidental and not really the point. And, P.S. this approach to story telling does not always work. But in this case, the setting and the main character are so interesting right off the bat that I found myself sucked in right away and on board for whatever Mackin was about to throw at me. But then, I've always loved war stories.

Mackin's writing will not be for everyone. But if you are looking for a writer who is writing about the Afghanistan war, from a fictional / loosely-autobiographical perspective, then this is your guy. His down-to-earth, regular guy writing style and the way he removes himself into his memories in order to deal with the dangers facing him sort of reminds me of The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, sort of a "grunts-eye view."

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