The Cage

by Tom Abraham

Book by TOM ABRAHAM

Genres: Military Fiction, War, Nonfiction, Military History, History

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mongoose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, but it must be noted there is disagreement as to whether any of the author's claims are actually a true account of his experiences. Appears this could really be a work of fiction. Worth a read though.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very full on book.

I loved the escape that Tom pulled off in the jungle.

But mostly this was just a very sad book for me. It was sad to think about all those veitnamese people on both sides, how cruel some were was hard to fathom.
Sad that Tom was so deeply affected psychologically that it almost ruined the rest of his life.

[Sam Romilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible story by a very unique person. Written in the style of a thriller it claims to be the true story of the events of an English enlisted officer in Vietnam in the 1st Air Cavalry. As a thriller the book works extremely well giving harrowing descriptions of the jungle warfare, the decisions of a commander, and the tragic after effects of PTSD. Tom Abraham writes extremely well in this context and is better than many other thriller writers. The professionalism of the narrative makes you wonder if this is all fiction and what other books this author has written. Where it gets interesting though is that Tom Abraham really does exist in the history books and there are plenty of photos in the book to prove his existence and time in Vietnam. This is now where the problem lies because the events recounted in the book are so varied and extreme that it is implausible that they could have all happened to one person in just a tour of one year. There have to have been some fantasies he threw in that, given his background, seem plausible and really part of his diary.

But was he really taken prisoner and tortured, did his patrol really shoot his replacement officer in the head because he put their lives at risk, did he really see a memo about a portable nuclear weapon, did he really on his way home survive one aircraft crash and one aircraft losing its engine, did he really have someone in his team that used to be a hippy at "Haight-Ashbury" etc etc. It all becomes a bit of a litany containing every cultural factoid of Vietnam thrown into the mix.

So would it have been a better book if only the exact events experienced were included? Clearly it would have been less of a page turning thriller but on the other hand a missed opportunity to create a historical document that would stand the test of time. What in a thriller could be boring and mundane descriptions of everyday routines and conversations would in a historical context be a fascinating document of a unique life story. Maybe there is a chance a more factual version will one day appear that does more to understand the background to the war, the feelings of the Vietnamese and the debates on the purpose and morality of such a war, and the long lasting damage and after effects still be felt 50 years later.

[Bryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an OK read - I was interested because I'm English and Tom was one of the few (4, I think) Englishmen to be in combat in the Vietnam War - However, apart from that, it's not really a read that grips you. The tales of his time in country are.....odd. He has an ongoing habit of teeing up sentences but not finishing off the story i.e. " we fan out and move across the slope, dealing with another bunker tucked into the hillside" but there's no more to that tale. If it's a dull detail, don't tell it. If it's worth it, tell the whole story. I also found him quite self-congratulatory while trying not be.... But the biggest challenge is obviously that many people have taken issue with the issue that's central to the book, that of Tom being captured and tortured by the Viet Cong. He does address that to some extent in the lead-in in the book but I found his return to active duty very odd in that the military don't seem at all concerned that he's been missing for 4 days, they don't seem to want to de-brief him and he's back into front-line duty the next day after 4 days of no food, he must have been ill after 4 days in a waterlogged cage with no clothes on and animals nibbling at his extremities and even the guys in his platoon apparently don't want to talk about it, all of which gives a plausible reason(s) for why it never came up at the time. But aren't all of those things a bit odd? Certainly individually but altogether? Overall, it's not a re-reader or one I'd recommend to others.

[DANIEL JOHNSON · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book… a good first hand experience of Vietnam from the tour of an English man.

A unique story not many could counter. It’s an easy read and entertaining.

However … i found out about halfway through that the truthfulness regarding actually being taken prisoner could be fabricated. Potentially to make the story additionally entertaining.. to be honest, it didn’t need.

I found no counter argument from the author.

So four stars from me . Worth a read, keep an open mind.

[Veronica-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tragic story of a broken man who served his time in the Vietnam War with distinction and honour, but on returning home he could not bear to relive all the trauma he had suffered at the hands of the enemy and instead stayed silent. It cost him dearly until eventually he releases his story and is able to finally heal the hidden wounds that were terrorizing his mind, body and soul. Recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently the stories about his rescue of POW's and other heroic accounts are fake, you can do a quit google search and it's revealed, he was in Vietnam, but many accounts were fabricated for a good read.

[Micky Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a bad book was Interesting in parts he was no doubt a brave man and after the war suffered ptsd

[Mandy J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, in-depth detailed descriptions of his view of the Vietnam War. Ended very abruptly though.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good read. I only checked out authenticity after finishing it ,but did not detract on story for me.

[Neal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it seemed far fetched and so much detail, it felt like it was an actual fictional story, which upon investigating since, it would appear to suggest that.

[Gareth Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent, if very sad, read. Unfortunate that large parts are fabrications of the truth.

[Andrew H · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 ⭐️

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read, in that it's entertaining. The book reads more like a fiction novel than a non-fiction account and that's because he made half of it up. However I still really enjoyed it and he struck a good balance between actions and talking about his feelings/thoughts about the war.

[Mark Ambler · Rating 3 out of 5]

my first vietnam book. being a brit the "englishman in nam" aspect was appealing. Like all war books it portrays a life that im lucky enough not to have experienced

[Dean Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and honest account of a veteran.

[Mark Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me it shows how life is so finely balanced. Where a man like Tom was successful and then one triggered trumatic memory lead to him lossing almost everything.

[Katesy's · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humbled

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started a book called The Cage, I expected it to be more about the time in the cage and escape, but it took 80% of the book before it was discussed. A disappointment.