Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

Greatest Vietnam War novel I've ever read.

For me, Hawke’s death was adequate, not want I wanted exactly, but absurd and tragic enough.  It successfully finished the racial narrative of the book, which I kept wondering how he was going to tie up.  I was more disappointed with Mellas not going back out there.  Apparently, the original draft of the book (he says it took him 40 years to write) was much longer, 1600 pages at one point.  I’d read that long version.  And I hate long versions.