Matterhorn

An exceptional work of literature must break new ground, whether in its content, form, or style. By this standard, Karl Marlantes’ Matterhorn is not a great work. What it is, though, is a very fine novel. As an account of the deprivations of war, it is a clear heir to Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. Catch 22 presents the absurdity of war with more comic force. Matterhorn’s depiction of the taking of a hill could be a written account of a nearly identical scene A Thin Red Line. The novel is also surprisingly small for such a think tome. It focuses on one group of soldiers, in a period that is not much more than a month. The nation back home appears only through the soldier’s thoughts. The narration occasionally brakes away from the principle focus on the troops on the ground to scenes that briefly depict the decisions of the commanders away from the front lines. The narrative is entirely linear; each chapter has a clear structure built around a specific event. The descriptions are detailed but never get caught in excessive minutiae. The writing is straightforward. The structure is straightforward. The characters are not without some complexity but none are probing psychological accounts.