In the Lake of the Woods

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Summary: The many devices of O'Brien
Review: Tim O'Brien creates a realistic interpretation of life and the secrets of life, by using language devices such as repitition, detail, and motiffs. By using these techniques, O'Brien creates a novel that will leave a life-long impression in your mind.

Troughout the novel, O'Brien uses repitition to establish the importance of the information and the realism of the situation. Often when describing the character's personal thoughts or when describing the scenery, because he uses repitition so frequently, the sentences jump out of page, embedding within the reader's mind, creating this sureal impression that nothing we believe is really is true, and that what we believe happened, never happened at all, for it all lies in the eyes of the beholder. In addition, O'Brien's use of detail establishes a personal relationship between the reader and the character. The fact that O'Brien goes so far into the minds of the characters, every reader can identify with some part of each character. Whether it is the insecurities of John Wade, the faithfulness of Kathy Wade, or the idealistic love the two characters have for each other, not one feeling or thought is gone unsaid throughout this book. All except the answers that is. Which is why O'Brien's use of motifs are so important. Mirrors, probably the most important one, are used to portray the many different interpretations different people have on the present, past, and future. O'Brien uses mirrors to explain or to demonstrate, that different conclusions will be made depending on who is looking at the situation. The fact that people can look in a mirror at the exact same thing, but see completely different things is the way the world works. It is the way history is looked at, it is the way the present-day is looked at, and it is the way the future is looked at. Not one person sees the exact same thing. O'Brien realizes this and plays on the fact that every person has their own opinion of what really happens in the end, so, he leaves all the questions without answers.

This novel was absolutly wonderful. From the very begining to the very end O'Brien creates a captivating story, however, he leaves the resolution up to the own imagination of each reader.

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Summary: Tim O'Brien Explores the Nature of Deception and Mystery
Review: If nothing else, Tim O'Brien is unique. As an individual, his views differ from most others in that he finds lies something to be praised. As a writer he differs even greater from his contemporaries in that he finds the need only to explore certain issues, not actually solve them. In his book, In the Lake of the Woods, O'Brien uses symbolism of a mirror and personification of nature to describe gruesome scenes while entangling these among the technique of bringing in outside information in order to explore the reasons behind deception and create a surreal, mysterious world in which his characters seem to dissolve. In an effort to explore the human capacity for deception, Tim O'Brien uses the symbols of a wall of mirrors in order to describe John Wade's haunting issues. Most of the deception in this book centers around the first plot line of this book, the disappearance of John's wife, Kathy. In stating that " he felt calm and safe with the mirror behind his eyes...where he could turn bad things into good things and just be happy," O'Brien is implementing the mirrors as a symbol of universal self-deception. Wade, just like anyone, cannot face all of the awful world all at once so he must hide from the things he does not have the will to confront. The mirrors here stand for anything people retreat behind, be it money or power. However, O'Brien still realizes that the mirrors stand for "a colossal case of self-deception." Never does O'Brien decisively conclude what this deception can cause. Rather, he uses the mirrors as a universal symbol of all our masks. John Wade and the mirrors in his head simply serve as an exaggerated example of common people. On the other side of this diverging plot, O'Brien skillfully uses personification of nature to describe Thaun Yen (historically known as May Lai) and provide a mystical atmosphere. O'Brien describes Wade's initial arrival in Thaun Yen as if " the wind seemed to pick him up and blow him from place to place." By personifying the wind, it makes the environment seem like a powerful force capable of pushing people into the unknown. Soon after that, O'Brien quotes that " the sunlight sucked him down a trail towards the center of the village." Again, by personifying the sun it becomes a active participant in this gruesome world, capable of becoming somewhat of a black hole into which people fall. The real, substantial John Wade, placed in a world in which he has no control, creates an active nightmare for his character and for the reader. It also contributes to O'Brien's dream-like, mysterious atmosphere and, in effect, contributes to the mysterious, dim and haunting tone. These two interweaving plots- Kathy's disappearance and the Thaun Yen massacre- come together to form a wide range of theories in chapters called "Evidence" including outside sources. Here, O'Brien uses other books, fake interviews, and actual testimonies as real life basis for his theories. To explore his mysterious side, O'Brien himself comments in a footnote that he likes exploring "eternal doubt, which but frustrates and facinates." In effect, O'Brein wanted to create a haunting place where reality and fantasy blurr. He never wished to reveal the actuality of this world and this story, but rather just to explore the possibilities it creates in people's minds. On the subject of deception, O'Brien uses the book, B.Traven: The Life Behind the Legends, and the quote " The life of a pseudonym is the life of a dead man." Hence, Wade is trying to recreate a life seperate from that of Thaun Yen to deceive others is pointless. The world of his past and present cannot be seperated, and if they are neither one can be real without the other. Finally, in order to tie the two together O'Brien quotes Cervantes, "Love and War are the same thing, and strategems and policy are as allowable in one as in the other." Simply put, deception grows out of frustration of one's present life and mystery leads to frustration. The mystery behind Thaun Yen is what plagued John Wade and his life and led to his frustration with hiding it. His deception towards Kathy led her to frustration over their marraige. Different stories with the same result. This, of course, is O'Brien's exploration into love, betrayal, and mystery - not his answer for it. Possibly because of its unresolved ending, I did not like the conclusion of the book. However, between the "Evidence" chapters and the "Hypothesis" chapters the element of "What if?" continues to draw the reader through the book. O'Brien untilizes his skill as a master of mystery in an attempt to merely lay out the facts while allowing what few writers do - the chance to construct your own ending. Ending with a very objectionable air, O'Brien's book proves that possibly the mystery and questions in themselves are what people desire, not the resolution that lies behind it.

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Summary: Vietnam Lives, Perhaps Forever
Review: As the author of a mystery novel featuring a former politician as a protagonist, I found Tim O'Brien's IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS a fascinating work when I first read it during its initial release. This week, following the revelations by the former Senator Robert Kerrey of his haunting tale from his service in Vietnam, I read O'Bien's book once more. IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS survives the test of time. It remains a brilliant work by one of the giants of contemporary American literature. The ambiguities involving the disgraced political leader, the disappearance of his wife, and America's role in Southeast Asia continue to resound as powerfully today as when the novel was first written. It is an excellent book, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

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Summary: Insight into Vietnam War Veterans
Review: As a twenty-year-old college student, I have never talked with my uncle about his experience in the Vietnam War. It is the war that some schools and some veterans try to pretend never happened. Tim O'Brien in, In the Lake of the Woods, lets readers know that the Vietnam War really happened. John Wade suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome along with some self-esteem problems throughout the novel. John Wade's profession as a politician feeds his need for a perfect outward appearance. Throughout the novel the reader sees how under the surface John is falling apart. The novel starts out with a murder and works its way backwards from there. O'Brien uses interesting writing techniques and a unique structure that makes this book a mix between a murder mystery, and a police report. At first this book made me uncomfortable. The insights into my own insecurities were right on because I can see the discrepancies between appearances and reality in my own life. Also, O'Brien does not tie up all of the loose ends in this story. But hey, life's not like that and neither was the Vietnam War. If you can handle uncertainty and some gruesome details you will enjoy In the Lake of the Woods.

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Summary: Dare to Enter A World Without Resolution
Review: Tim O'Brien's novel, "In the Lake of the Woods," is a book about evidence and truth. Kathy Wade, the wife of John Wade a politician who was just slaughtered in an election, disappears. The evidence that is left behind is utterly inconclusive, she could have walked away and kept walking forever, she could have been killed of kidnapped by a stranger, or her own husband could have murdered her, but whatever happened, evidence, at least in this novel, does not lead to truth. The facts do not add up to a conclusive resolution. As the novel itself states, "Evidence is not truth. It is only evident. In any case, Kathy Wade is forever missing, and if you require a solution, you will have to look beyond these pages. Or read a different book" (30).

The inconclusiveness of this book both gives the reader a peculiar power and leaves the reader in an uncomfortable place. We are used to books with resolution. We are used to completing a novel and discovering whether the characters have been punished or rewarded. As a country, Americans like neat, tidy things. This is not a neat, tidy book, and if you are looking for that, then just as the text suggests, you may want to read a different book.

That is not to say that this is not a good book. I enjoyed the ambiguity of "In the Lake of the Woods." I found that the inconclusiveness let me imagine my own ending, like a choose your own adventure book from childhood. There is a certain power in that, but there is also the floundering of unknowing. O'Brien never tells us if John Wade kills his wife, he never tells us if she has just walked off to a better place, and that is frustrating. Just as frustrating, in fact, as real life, this is probably why O'Brien chose to write this book. In real life, we often do not know what really happened, there are facts but they are inconclusive, and so we often turn to fiction where things are in black and white. When you reach the last page of most novels any critical reader knows exactly what has happened. In this book, however, only an uncritical reader thinks they know exactly what has happened.

Near the end of the novel the reader's uncertainty is addressed again, "[If everything was known] nothing more would beckon, nothing would tantalize. The thing about Custer is this: no survivors. Hence, eternal doubt, which both frustrates and fascinates. It's a standoff. The human desire for certainty collides with our love of enigma" (266). If the reader can accept this, can accept the fact that this book is both frustrating as well as fascinating, then it's a great read, a real page-turner. If, however, you seek answers in literature, hard and certain facts, then don't even bother with "In the Lake of the Woods" because you will be utterly unsatisfied.

O'Brien presents the courageous reader with a world that very much mirrors our own world, a world where the answers are not clear, the evidence does not always add up, and the truth is not always discovered. For those few willing to adventure into this realm, adventure on, you will be rewarded with a fascinating text.

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Summary: The Self-referential Nature of Truth Buried in History
Review: What a wonderful novel!

Tim O'Brien creatively delivers his insightful themes through a suspenseful dramatization which directly involves the reader. I wonder how many readers of this novel know how they are being manipulated and used as an example of what O'Brien is proving? O'Brien is a genius!

O'Brien uses a first person narrator as a tool for portraying the self-referential nature of truth. O'Brien shows the obsession with mystery and real-life drama and how these events are analyzed based upon individuals' own ideas and experiences.

Senator John Wade is suspected of killing his wife Kathy. Did he do it or not? This is the dramatic focus of the novel. Or is it?

The first person narrator is providing us with his version of the story. He gives us chapters that merely list pieces of evidence that we, as readers, are deeming either relevant and important or irrelevant and unimportant. The narrator is deciding which pieces of evidence are important to tell us; the narrator presents this information having already formed an opinion of what really happened as a result of self-referencing his own knowledge base - his own ideas, experiences and emotions. Then, we as readers, are doing the same thing without even noticing!

In this way, O'Brien is asserting a mirror theme that pervades throughout the entire book; in fact, the mirror is the structure of the novel. The relationship of projection and reflection tie together to develop his themes. The narrator is projecting all of this evidence onto us as readers; thus, we as readers, project our own reflection of what we believe really happens back onto the novel.

FOr example, perhaps we come up with the conclusion that John Wade did kill his wife. We would have come to this conclusion based upon our reflection of what the narrator is projecting toward us. The mirror is the tool of our analysis, rather than thoroughly and objectively collecting and analyzing the evidence systematically.

O'Brien is not interested in whether or not John Wade killed his wife. This is not his point. O'Brien is exploring the way in which history is perceived and the way events in the present are perceived. History and truth are manipulated by the illusion of the mirror theme. History is not the mere reflection of what actually happened. The image of history is distorted through the reflection of whoever is looking at it.

O'Brien dramatizes these themes brilliantly. One way this novel demonstrates these themes is through the author's portrayal of the Vietnam War; he has mastered the documentation of the Vietnam War experience in In the Lake of the Woods. The memories of the survivors are only reflections of what they wish had happened. Through interviews with the soldiers, countless contradictions are revealed based upon different accounts of the same event. History is so easily manipulated and in these cases, buried in the psyches of the surviving soldiers.

The narrator builds suspense on a dramatic level, while O'Brien is showing how the theme of self-referntial truth complicates the cyclical force of history. Our perceptions of history are based upon self-referential deductions of other people's self-referential deductions; thus originating and perpetuating the manipulated cycle of history.

Enjoy!

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Summary: A Step Away from the Conventions
Review: Anyone familiar with Tim O'Brien's work knows that he continually wants to push his readers to think deeply and past the mundane conventions of story telling. In the Lake of the Woods does not differ in this aspect. The narrator of the story admits to the readers at the very beginning that, if you like stories tied in beautiful little bows at the end, a tight little plot snipped off into a happy and satisfying end, this book is not for you! I completely agree with the narrator, after finishing the novel; you will not be satisfied if you're reading this novel purely for a cut and paste plot with a resolution at the end. However, I think this novel is wonderfully written and offers a great challenge to anyone wanting to push the limits of their mind and think differently. John Wade, an ambitious politician has just lost his a primary for the US Senate and has turned to a hideaway cottage in the Lake of the Woods with his wife Kathy. Dealing with the depression of his letdown, John and Kathy struggle to keep their marriage intact. However, all seems futile when one morning, John wakes up to discover that Kathy is gone. The novel continues to explain John's past-his childhood playing with magic tricks, his experience in the Vietnam War and his love affair with Kathy. Meanwhile, O'Brien (or the narrator, whichever you chose to identify him as) provides wonderfully, descriptive hypotheses of what could have happened to Kathy. The narrator spoils it for you write away, so I might as well tell you, you're not going to find out. And, yes, you're going to struggle with that-we are taught that at the end of the story, everything is resolved, whether happily or unhappily and then we can go one with our lives, but O'Brien, I think, expects more from his readers. O'Brien's works are continually thrusting me into new realms. This story not only provided me with hours of captivated reading, but I also felt that I learned more about the novelty of stories and how it's okay for them to step outside of conventions. His writing is amazing, and this novel is no exception. Perhaps one of the most earth-shattering aspects of not having this story tied up nice and neat at the end is the fact that these characters come to life! they live and breathe through O'Brien's writing and you want to know so much more about them. That talent is amazing-I want to keep reading after I'm done, and it isn't only because the story doesn't resolve itself. O'Brien has created a world for me that I'm not ready to leave. This book is wonderful. Read it a hundred times. But a caution for those who like stories with a resolution. You're not going to find it here. But I recommend that you challenge yourself. O'Brien's writing is definitely worth it and I think that anyone can learn a lot from this book.

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Summary: A good read, but it doesn't inspire
Review: Tim O'Brien writes a carefully crafted book about perspective, evidence, and possibilities. This book is based on a concept that there are things in the world that are certain, but much more of the world is open to interpretation. It is clear from the start of this novel that the conflict will not be resolved with any clarity or sincerity. In which case this book is almost more about the journey than it is about the destination.

The plot. Plot! This story isn't about plot. O'Brien gives only a basic outline of events as they transpire in the story. The only certainties are the facts given in the "evidence" chapters, where character's opinions are given and random information is offered up in a rather dogmatic way.

The thematic implications of this novel are given paramount importance. The whole structure of the novel is based on O'Brien's worldview that nothing is certain. The book appears as a mirror to its readers. A choose you're own ending book. The adventure is chosen and you ride along with the characters seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, but you get the opportunity, when all is said and done, to make up your mind as too what happened to the characters. O'Brien rewards you for this journey by having the supporting characters that you barely even see give you interpretations, each interpretation points a different way. The character you are most like in the novel is the character that you will most likely agree with. Or is he/she?

O'Brien does a good job with character, for a more "literary" author. The depths that he goes to too explain John and Kathy Wade is impressive. John Wade is a political looser. His career was going great, but during the primaries for United States Senator he was completely destroyed because of his war record. His war record is the one thing that this entire story is about. It is really suspenseful so I'll shut up before I ruin anything. John is a mentally muffed up individual, one you can sympathize with too a certain extent (because all of us have had problems), however, there was a point in the story where it became hard for me to sympathize with him.

Kathy Wade, the lover of a man who is disturbed. In her own way she is very disturbed, much like John. She is not a sympathetic character to me, so I will refrain from judgements. However, she is well thought out, and explained in a convincing manner. I just wouldn't want to be around her.

O'Brien's true strength of this novel is the tone. A sort of misty, hazy, or surreal tone, much like the environment and the characters themselves. Everything in this story seems somehow on the verge of the supernatural, though you never see anything "hardcore". I think this tone is important to take into consideration if you read this book for thematic concerns.

Overall, I would recommend this book. Although, I enjoyed much of the story, it did not inspire me. The characters were well done, but they lacked something, they seemed hollow and shallow to me. Tim O'Brien did many cool things in this novel, but one thing he failed to do was transcend the shallowness of literature in general. It is interesting to take a look at from a philosophical standpoint, but from a narrative standpoint I think it could have been done better.

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Summary: You will either sink or swim In The Lake of the Woods
Review: A little over a year ago, I got acquainted with the work of an author that I quite genuinely believe is one of the great geniuses of the modern literary world. I know I am not alone in this assessment of Tim O'Brien. My introduction to O'Brien was through the short-story-anthology/novel (it has the characteristics of both), The Things They Carried. It was love at first read, and I am surprised it took me this long to get to In the Lake of the Woods. I am far from the only one singing Tim O'Brien's praises, but I want to put in a specific word for this novel. If you haven't gotten acquainted with O'Brien, now is the perfect time to do so by diving into the Lake of the Woods.

This is a novel that took so much of Tim O'Brien's soul to write that for a time after it, he was convinced he would not write again. On that merit alone, this novel is more than worth the time you will spend with it. Like other works by O'Brien, very little happens as expected. If you're looking for a conventional story, this is the wrong place to look, but if you're willing to give O'Brien's subversions a close enough look, you will be intrigued. O'Brien subverts the conventions of suspense into a novel written like a tightly coiled spring.

The first conventions O'Brien plays with are narrative and character conventions. There seem to be multiple voices speaking in this novel. The reader has to fight the urge to believe that there really are three different "narrators" and assign one the name "narrator" (the voice that speaks in the normal prose chapters) and another the name "unknown writer" (the voice of the chapters labeled evidence) and yet another the name "Tim O'Brien" (the voice that enters in the footnotes.) By the time the question of what is narrative voice as opposed to character voice gets sorted out and the reader is prepared to expect the unexpected, O'Brien goes and does something more or less by the book in creating his main character. Still, the reader is reluctant to believe it. John Wade is clearly the main character here... or is he? Thereby, suddenly the reader is in the book too, heartbeat elevated by the realization that he doesn't know whom he can trust, if he cannot even trust his own instincts.

This is not a novel wherein the reader can afford to let any detail pass by unnoticed, though within what seems like (but is not, upon a careful reading) a cacophony of narrative voices, the temptation is real. Even the chapter headings play a role, much to the delight and at the same time chagrin of this reader who is used to skimming over such details. Furthermore, just when you thought it was safe to ignore all preliminary commentary inside the cover of the novel and approach that vicarious world from within, O'Brien comes across with a novel that, by its very structure suggests that it would behoove the serious reader to go back and check out what comes between the two title pages.

Much as it is like a suspense novel in the fact that the reader spends serious time wondering who to trust, In the Lake of the Woods is much more. If it has been done before, I have not seen a suspense novel where even the narrative voice was suspect. I have definitely never seen one where 30 pages in the novel essentially tells its audience what to expect from the ending. Has O'Brien made a mistake, ruining the suspense of a suspense novel before it has barely begun? Hardly. With this subversion, Tim O'Brien has intent as well. Some prior acquaintance with O'Brien's work can offer extremely minimal help in cracking his code, if the reader has understood that part of the self-consciousness of Tim O'Brien's fiction is itself questioning the nature of truth and of story-telling. Still, the reader must not rely too heavily on knowledge of the self-consciousness of O'Brien's body of fiction. This is not just another story about telling stories. This is a world of voyeurism, mystery, the darkness that people are capable of, and more. As always, though, the intense psychology of O'Brien's writing is not exclusive of a tantalizing read. I almost guarantee that you will be intrigued. Just beware that if closure is what you seek, you will not be satisfied.

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Summary: Dualities of Self
Review: Tim O'Brien's chilling tale involves the deconstruction of John and Kathy Wade's rocky relationship. Through his telling, O'Brien discloses the differences between appeareance and reality, creating a mysterious platform for the "novel". In this sense, the story seems to act more like a mystery than an actual novel. O'Brien enforces the notion of illusion verses fact by offering several different hypotheses for the ending. After my first reading this was frustrating because I wanted a definite answer or "solution" to the book. After reviewing the endings again , however, and considering the different scenarios I realized that "In the Lake of the Woods" is more challenging than it seems. O'Brien forces the reader to question everything and reassess the characters. This interaction with the author adds a dynamic dimension to an already suspenseful book. The non-linear construction of the book emphasizes this interaction in that the reader must pay close attention to the shifting time frame. I recommend this book because in forcing the reader to distinguish reality from appearance, O'Brien also seems to make the reader evalutate themself in the process.