Situada en pleno desierto, la base avanzada de operaciones Ice, protagonista de El cuerpo humano de Paolo Giordano, se encuentra en uno de los enclaves más peligrosos de la guerra de Afganistán. A su alrededor no hay nada más que arena y una luz tan fulgurante que destruye la vista. A esta base llegará el último pelotón de voluntarios comandados por el mariscal Antonio René. Jóvenes, inexpertos e ignorantes de lo que les espera, para todos ellos esta misión será la primera gran prueba a la que se enfrenten en su vida. En el silencio absoluto de la noche, tumbados en sus jergones, los recuerdos de sus vidas los invaden y escucharánn el latir de sus corazones, el rumor incesante del cuerpo humano. Cuando tengan que cruzar las líneas enemigas y el peligro se torne real, tanto esos jóvenes soldados creados por la imaginación de Paolo Giordano en El cuerpo humano, que apenas han dejado atrás la adolescencia, como los mandos superiores tendrán que rendir cuentas con su pasado, con esas vidas que han quedado en suspenso atrapadas en una compleja telaraña de amor, amistad o familia.

THE HUMAN BODY, by Italian author Paolo Giordano, is one of the best damn novels I've read yet about the war in Afghanistan. The English translation, by Anne Milano Appel, gives you a unique look at that war from a different standpoint. The unit portrayed here is a platoon of an Alpine regiment from the Italian Army, part of the coalition force. A part of Charlie Company, the men are stationed at FOB Ice, an exposed and remote "sandpit" southwest of Herat in western Afghanistan. There are many ways the book's title might be interpreted, but, after reading it, I think I would simply say that the human body and war are not a good mix.

The Italian soldiers' realistic opinion on the war itself is not very different from others. Cederna, a career man, and something of a sociopath, feels that -

"... if the politicos decide to withdraw the troops ... Afghanistan will fall back into the hands of the Taliban immediately."

Of course we now know that he was right, but this book was published nearly ten years ago, in 2012.

And here's an excerpt from a briefing given to new arrivals on their mission -

"We're in a country of filthy, corrupt people. There's nothing to improve here. When we've straightened a few things out and go home, everything will go back to being the same mess it was before. All you should care about is going home. Make it home and your mission will have been a success - the hell with Afghanistan ... we're soldiers, we do what has to be done. Don't waste my time with dumb mass questions."

And again, about the book's title. When one of the youngest members of the platoon, the virginal twenty year-old Ietri, witnesses an armored vehicle filled with his friends blown apart by an IED, he muses, in shock, that some of the falling fragments -

"... aren't mechanical but anatomical. For example, there's a boot still attached to its sole, upright, with something sticking out of it. He's not sure what the others are. So that's how a human body is blown apart, he thinks."

And there is the medical officer, Lieutenant Eggito, traumatized not just by the war, but by survivor's guilt and an untenable situation back home, who secretly self-medicates with pilfered o daily doses of antidepressants, wondering -

"Why do wars break out? How does one become a soldier? What is family?"

There is much to ponder in this novel of multiple, fully realized, three-dimensional characters, some good, some bad, all doing whatever it takes to survive.

I began by saying this is one of the best novels yet to come our of obe of the "forever wars." Another equally good one was THE WATCH, by Indian author Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya. Neither author has ever served in the military. Puzzling, and something to think about. Paolo Giordano, barely forty, is a marvelous young talent whose work has been translated into more then thirty languages. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Bravo, Paolo. Bravo!

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER ( )

(English below)

Eerst:" bah, ga ik wel verder lezen?", ik heb moeite met het instituut leger. Maar na verloop van tijd gaat het gelukkig vooral om de individuen en de groep (psychologie en sociologie). (Ook door het beschrijvende/niet oordelende karakter kan ik het hebben.).
Wat gebeurt er met persoonlijke illusies, verschillende types/karakters in zo'n gespannen verveelsituatie met vooral jonge mannen, ver van het thuis'front' ,in een woestijn in een hierachie. ( twee vrouwen). De onmogelijkheid om het goed te doen(als dat al gewild wordt). Veelal eenzame individuen met verschillende normen en karakters. Ieder met een eigen overlevingstactiek.
Dit exponeert en muteert als er actie moet worden ondernomen. De realitiet van een guerilla(?)-oorlog.
En thuis in Italië tekent zich af welke impact de aanval op ieder heeft gehad.

Goed dat er sprongetjes in tijd gemaakt worden. Compact en soms fragmentarisch verteld. Dat is een plus.
Het contact met thuisfront(voor tijdens en na de missie) maakt het afwisslender. geeft het een extra laag.

Een wat hoekige stijl,of eigenlijk zijn het meer losse zinnetjes die zich om elkaar heen slingeren. went snel. Is goed.
Een alleswetende verteller voor wat betreft de personages. Het is een raamvertelling. Drie delen verdeeld in kleine hoofdstukken, de meeste met titel!
Een nieuwe wereld voor mij, die voor het verhaal duidelijk genoeg is. De schrijver is er zelf geweest, zal wel kloppen volgens zijn ervaring.
Door het gebruik van voornamen en achternamen door elkaar raak ik soms kwijt over wie het gaat..Dat is niet erg, neem de namenlijst erbij, of herlees het.

'English'..:
First: "Bah, will I read on?" I have trouble with the Institute Army. But soon, it's happily especially about the individuals and the group . (Also by describing / non judgmental character helps I can handle this story.).
What happens to personal illusions, different types / characters in such a tense boredom, almost young men, far from home, isolated in a desert, in a hierarchy. ( two women). The impossibility of doing well (if desired). Mostly lonely individuals with different norms and characters. Everyone with their own survival tactics.
This exposes and mutes when military action needs to be taken. The reality of a guerrilla(?) war.
And at home in Italy, it is clear what impact the attack has on the main characters.

Writing:
Good jumps are made in time. Compact and sometimes fragmented. That's a plus.
The contact with the home front (before , during and after the mission) makes it varied. Gives an extra layer.
A somewhat angular style, or actually, are the more loose sentences that wander around each other. Get used to quickly, it's Good.
An omniscient narrator as regards the characters. It's a frame story. Three parts divided into small chapters, mostly with a title!
A new world for me, which is clearly enough described for the story. The writer has been there himself, that world will be correct, according to his experience.
Because of the use of first names and surnames, I sometimes get lost on who is who. That doesn't matter, take the names list, or read it again.

I agree with
The two first paragraphs jmchshannon .
Peter Noordzij: "Paulo Giordani has tried to make the atmosphere in the human body, he has succeeded. The human body can manage a lot, but the human mind can not handle that violence. ( )

Un libro molto interessante: nonostante l'ambientazione in una base militare in Afghanistan, la guerra è solo un pretesto per mettere a nudo l'animo umano. Non è un romanzo d'azione ma introspettivo, ci mostra le contraddizioni, le debolezze e la maturazione (o regressione per alcuni) di un gruppo di giovani soldati: ognuno solo coi suoi demoni interiori, ma tutti insieme alle prese con una realtà difficile e pericolosa, ben diversa da qualunque cosa potessero aspettarsi. I personaggi sono tratteggiati con molta cura, ognuno ha una personalità coerente e definita.
Forse in alcuni punti il libro risulta un po' didascalico, soprattutto con le riflessioni del tenente Egitto (principale voce narrante e "coscienza" dell'opera) che sembrano dilungarsi troppo in spiegazioni a beneficio del lettore e rendono difficile empatizzare, come invece accade con altri personaggi più semplici come Ietri o Torsu. Nel complesso comunque una lettura stimolante e avvincente. ( )

I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone curious about the life of a soldier. We're given a look inside an Italian military unit assigned to a hostile area. More than that, we are given a look into their lives outside the military as well. You come to care about them and what happens to them. But, fair warning, this a little of a slow starter... don't get discouraged and stop reading! ( )