1 (Al Tafar, 2004)
The first chapter is set in a city Al Tafar in Iraq, in September of 2004. There is description of war, and how it killed thousands. A battle is about to start and the two characters are being introduced: Bart (the narrator) and Murph. The narrator talks about their interpreter Malik and how he was killed. The battle is about to start and the Lieutenant is encouraging the soldiers. The battle ended successfully. At the end of the battle a little girl comes out to attend to the shot old women. The morning finally arrives and Bart and the rest of soldiers sleep.
Analysis
In this first chapter we get a straight to the point introduction to the novel and what it will be about. The war is personified to further encourage the state of horror that it causes. Bartle describes the death of Malik with no compassion. He is just glad that it wasn't him and here we get a realistic, not so heroic, picture of war. The two soldiers are convinced in the pattern of war, where if one of them dies he filled the count of deaths for that day, but as we learn later, war, or life for that matter doesn't work that way.
2 (New Jersey, 2003)
Bartle sends a letter to Murph's mom in his name after he died. He recalls the time when he first met Murph and their going to war ceremony. Bart promised Murph's mother to bring him back home. Sergeant Sterling attacks him because of it. Bart doesn't want to get close to Murph because he doesn't want to feel responsible for him.
Analysis
The most important part of this chapter is the promise Bartle makes to Murphy's mother. This promise is the key influencer in his relationship with Murph and the feeling of guilt after what happens later in the war and what urges him to write that letter.
3 (Germany, 2005)
Bartle's duty is over. He is an AWOL. He gets into a taxi and has a panic attack. Bartle is haunted by Murphs death. He goes to church and almost makes a confession. Then he goes into a brothel where he meets Sterling. Apparently Sterling has physically abused one of the girls. Bartle gets drunk and wakes up in one of the room with the girl and she helps him while he is vomiting. Then he gets back to the station and falls asleep there.
Analysis
Bartle is entrapped in feeling lost and haunted by war and Murph's death, he doesn't want to talk to anyone. He goes to the church to find some kind of relief but decides it's meaningless and finally tells the priest to pray for whomever he thinks it would not be a waste of time. Another search for relief is the brothel but this as well proves to be meaningless.
4 (Al Tafar, 2004)
Murph got a letter from his girlfriend telling him she is breaking up with him. Late at night Colonel comes to tell them to prepare for battle. They are going into battle and Sterling is behaving weird-he is leaving a trail of salt behind them while talking in an unknown language. Later, Bart tells Murph to check up on Sterling. Then he sees Sterling coming their way carrying a body.
Analysis
The letter from his girlfriend is the beginning of Murph's breakdown. In this chapter we also get the sense of war hypocrisy as the Colonel tries to encourage the soldiers for the battle but his disinterest is showing. To him they are not individuals but just numbers sacrificed for the nation's pride. He encourages them by telling them they will be honoured even if they die, all the while not failing to show that he is not the one who puts his life on the line.
5 (Richmond, Virginia, 2005)
Bartle is returning home. His mother greets him at the airport and welcomes him home. He isn't really feeling like he's finally home. When he comes home he falls asleep and dreams of Murph.
Analysis
The important scene in this chapter is when the bartender is trying to pay for Bartle's drink pointing to the yellow ribbon as a token of gratitude for what he's done for the country. Bartle refuses as he's done nothing but survived. This is what later on as well Bartle has trouble acknowledging, this sense of gratitude towards him as he feels that what he's done, what he was forced to do to survive is not something people should be thankful for.
6 (Al Tafar 2004)
Battle in the orchard, a young medic dies and the rest of the group proceed to the town. They reach a bridge and there is a body bomb on it. Before they can return the bomb explodes but no one is injured. After they kill the ones behind it, Murph and Bartle have a task of clearing out the pieces of the body bomb from the bridge.
Analysis
The death of the young medic is important part because it further acknowledges the realistic picture of war. The soldiers gathered around him as he is dying expect him to say something, something important, but the young man just dies. We also get a glimpse of the decaying atmosphere of the war-stricken town where dogs are eating the remains of human flesh.
7 (Richmond, Virginia, 2005)
Back at home Bartle is unable to get back to normality. He spends most of his time sleeping and the only time he gets out of the house is to go to the convenience store to buy a pack of beer. His childhood friend Luke calls him to join him and his friends on the river. People want to see him. Bartle is unable to forget what happened in the war, everything around him reminds him of it. He is remembering Murph, but now he realises he only remembers parts of their time together, he is starting to forget. On the river he gets into the water and faints and has a vision of a horse. After he returns home his mother informs him he got a letter from The Criminal Investigation Division.
Analysis
Bartle is overcome with the feeling of shame, hardly going out and not meeting anyone. He's fallen into depression and finds comfort in sleep and wants to fall asleep forever and has suicidal thoughts which form in the shape of an old, bloody palomino horse.
8 (Al Tafar, 2004)
After the orchard fight things appear to be calmed down with soldiers taking two day shifts and one day rest. Murph became distant and Bartle is worried about him and starts to follow him. He finds him in front of a medic station looking at one of the girl medics. Suddenly the mortars begin to fall and there is chaos. After the situation calms down Bartle reaches a chapel. Murph and another soldier are crouching and trying to resuscitate the girl medic but it's too late. Then they carry the girl to the medic station. The sun set.
Analysis
Murph is distant and looks at the medic girl because he sees in her hope, compassion which is a rare sight there. The girl's death is when Murph is completely gone and there is no bringing him back. He is completely broken down and his death at his point seems inevitable.
9 (Richmond, Virginia, 2005)
Bartle is living alone in an apartment. He still hardly ever goes out and he became a heavy drinker. One evening Captain from The Criminal Investigation Division comes to see him. Bartle couldn't hide from them forever. It is brought to knowledge that Sergeant Sterling committed suicide. Captain questions him about the letter he wrote to Murph's mother. He handcuffs Bartle and they leave his apartment. On the way to the car Bartle throws his and Murph's casualty feeder cards into the river.
Analysis
Both the Captain and Bartle are aware that his arrest is needed because someone needs to be blamed for what happened it doesn't matter what the truth is. Bartle throwing away the cards in the river is symbolic because it shows that he is finally ready to stop hiding, to face the truth and eventually overcome it.
10 (Al Tafar, 2004)
Murph is gone after seeing the medic die. The soldiers begin searching for him in Al Tafar. They learn that the previous night he walked out naked in the street, approached some beggar and was led to a dark alley. Bartle and Sterling learn that he was led to the mosque. They approach the minaret and find the tortured body of Murph. The two men decide it would be best to dispose of his body like what happened never happened because they don't want his mother to see Murph in that state. They throw his body into the river.
Analysis
At the beginning Murph is mentally gone, there is no saving him and his walking out on the street naked is the indicator of his complete breakdown. Sterling and Bartle don't seem to be surprised when they find his dead body and when they dispose of it in the river they are finally accepting that he is completely gone.
11 (Fort Knox, Kentucky, 2009)
While in prison, Bartle tries to connect his memories of war but realises that everything is random, that there is no connection. Murph's mother visits him and he tells her what really happened to her son. Bartle is glad that she did visit him because he finally feels his resignation is justified. After he leaves prison he starts living in a cabin near the mountains.
Analysis
In this chapter Bartle is accepting the randomness of war; there are no logical connections to the things that happened and no special meaning behind them. At the end when he is dreaming about Murph we can see that he is finally able to let him go, to accept what happened and move on.
