A great mystery that offers a dozen different answers but ultimately ends ambiguously, but he open feel only adds to the scintillating mystery. O'Brien's characters are slowly revealed through the chapters as more complex with deeper, darker secrets than you could imagine. One of the best features of this novel is the fact that the landscape, nature, and setting in general all reflect the emotions of the characters and their actions; it even reflects the reader's own suspicions. The symbolism in the lake of the woods--and the woods themselves--is amazing.

This novel also begs the question, is a happy ending so difficult to believe in? And why do we need an answer? Isn't the fun of mysteries the not knowing? Once we know the secret to the magic trick, it's not half as charming or clever as we thought...

Overall, a great book, if a little chilling. It certainly makes you think (but not overthink). ( )

The first 40 pages of this book almost had me put the book down. I couldn't stand the "evidence" chapters. They seemed so gimmicky and lazy. I kept reading however and for the most part enjoyed the rest of the story.
There are some truly well written passages, but I just couldn't get past the "footnotes as narrative" mechanism for telling this story. Perhaps it’s the history buff in me. Perhaps it’s my undergrad memorization of the Chicago Style Writing Manual. Whatever it is, using footnotes to indiscriminately describe fictional and nonfictional elements just irked me. From the get go, I knew that there was not going to be an official ending to this mystery. But by the time I got to the end, Tim O'Brien was inserting footnotes in the "evidence" chapters describing his personal feelings and takes on the characters as if they were real people. This really bothered me because these were fictional characters he created and he seemed to be trying to give us another point of view on them by implying that he really didn't know what they were up to. Post-modern some might say, but as far as story telling goes it was just confusing and it really didn't help me think about it in any new way. It just seemed like poor writing.
I will give him this: the character of John Wade was a messed up dude, even before the war. A very convincing creeper. I really couldn't figure out why Kathy was in love with him. He didn't really exhibit any healthy qualities. Perhaps Kathy just found all the stalking and lack of communication romantic? Anyway, the chapters that dealt with the war were the most fascinating to me, and makes me want to read more something nonfiction by Tim O'Brien.
Also, the setting of The Lake of the Woods was a good pick and he did a great job of making me feel the emptiness and monotony of the place, in spite of its apparent beauty. I ended up exploring the google earth Lake of the Woods for a good half hour, and indeed it is immense and foreboding. I could easily see someone getting lost in a boat out there. I also liked the cartographic anomaly of “The Angle” and how this could have been incorporated more into the book.
So, what does Mr. O'Brien want us to get out of this story? Some things come to mind: the Vietnam War could make a kinda creepy guy into a really messed up creepy guy; or in the end it doesn't really matter if a guy gets away with murder, there is no point in having closure. Perhaps it is just that society can never be the judge of complex human lives. Was it ambiguity that O’Brien was going for? Or maybe he just couldn’t make up his mind.
Overall, a pretty good story, scarred by creative yet confusing use of post-modern footnotes. ( )

maybe his best book ( )

I loved this book. Couldn't stop thinking about it after I read it. What really happened in the end? ( )

As in "The Things They Carried" this book seems to have captured the inner feelings of a man thrust into the unfathomable circumstances of war. It depicts the ghosts of war that haunt this man, John Wade, as he tries to make a life for himself, and how it impacts his ability to have a meaningful relationship with his wife. The ultimate ambiguity of whether he kills his wife in his insanity or drives her to leave is unimportant; the results are the same.

It seems to me that O'Brien's descriptions on how the horrors of war impact young men are important to understand. For this reason alone, his fiction merits reading; his style makes them a pleasure to read. ( )