The novel “Matterhorn” by Karl Marlantes is a masterpiece of storytelling and Vietnam War literature. Thirty-five years in the making, Matterhorn tells the story of a company of U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War, told from the point of view of Second Lieutenant Waino Mellas.
From firefights to tiger attacks, it is a gripping tale based on the author’s real experience in the Vietnam War. Matterhorn takes us to what The New York Times describes as “a steep mountain near the intersection of Laos and the DMZ separating North and South Vietnam,” where we join the men of Bravo Company, who are building an outpost on a mountain they call Matterhorn.
Soon after they complete it, they are ordered to abandon it in order to take part in another operation. During this operation, the men of Bravo Company slog through near-impenetrable jungle, deep valleys and cliff sides while fighting off tigers, malaria and commanders who don’t understand their situation.
Soon after, they are sent back to a rear area to rest and reorganize. This rest does not last long, as we reach the climax of the book, where Bravo Company is sent to retake Matterhorn, as the base had been taken over by the North Vietnamese after the Marines’ departure.
Over the next several days, they are locked in a battle of attrition with the North Vietnamese over this small outpost, during which a great many of the characters we have by now grown close to are killed. Eventually after retaking Matterhorn again they are ordered once again to abandon it this time for good.
Through all of these events, there is the constant backdrop of the Marines losing all confidence in their command, along with racial tensions that divide the Marines off the battlefield.
During the final part of the story, after the fight over Matterhorn, the company is sent back to the rear for another rest. Here, racial tensions boil over in the fraggings of the former commander of Bravo Company, who is mistaken for a sergeant that many in the company see as a racist who uses them to achieve his goal of getting an easy job out of combat.
After this devastating loss that comes so close to the end of the story, what is left of our protagonists go out for one last operation. The book ends with the survivors gathered together chanting the names of all those who they have lost during the previous fighting. It provides an opportunity for the reader to almost look back on the events of the book and take it all in.
In conclusion, Matterhorn provides a gritty and unique perspective on the Vietnam War from the perspective of a young junior officer. It does this by going into the aspects of war outside of combat — the boredom, the environment and the camaraderie between the protagonists.
Every time a character dies, you feel it in a way that no other book can replicate, with the reactions of the other characters only compounding the loss.
Another key to Matterhorn’s success is how it portrays the disconnect between the men of Bravo Company, who are experiencing the events of the story as they happen, and their commanders.
Due to their experience in past wars, which were fought in a much more conventional way with an identifiable overall goal, they are not able to relate to or understand our protagonist’s views, requests and experiences.
Due to all of these factors, it should come as no surprise that Matterhorn was very well received upon release, with the book receiving several awards along with being on The New York Times bestseller list in April 2010.
For all of these reasons, Matterhorn proves itself to be an incredible novel and recounting of one part of a traumatic and misunderstood war.
Sources-
NPR – ‘Matterhorn’: A Beautiful, Brutal Vietnam War Epic
The Guardian – Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
New York Times – The Vietnam Wars: ‘Matterhorn’
