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The Good Lieutenant
An acclaimed American novelist with a keen eye for our biggest issues and themes turns his gaze to Iraq, with astonishing results
The Good Lieutenant literally starts with a bang as an operation led by Lieutenant Emma Fowler of the Twenty-seventh Infantry Battalion goes spectacularly wrong. Men are dead--one, a young Iraqi, by her hand. Others were soldiers in her platoon. And the signals officer, Dixon Pulowski. Pulowski is another story entirely--Fowler and Pulowski had been lovers since they met at Fort Riley in Kansas.
From this conflagration, The Good Lieutenant unspools backward in time as Fowler and her platoon are guided into disaster by suspicious informants and questionable intelligence, their very mission the result of a previous snafu in which a soldier had been kidnapped by insurgents. And then even further back, before things began to go so wrong, we see the backstory unfold from points of view that usually are not shown in war coverage--a female frontline officer, for one, but also jaded career soldiers and Iraqis both innocent and not so innocent. Ultimately, as all these stories unravel, what is revealed is what happens when good intentions destroy, experience distorts, and survival becomes everything.
Brilliantly told and expertly captured by a terrific writer at the top of his form, Whitney Terrell's The Good Lieutenant is a gripping, insightful, necessary novel about a war that is proving to be the defining tragedy of our time.
The Good Lieutenant literally starts with a bang as an operation led by Lieutenant Emma Fowler of the Twenty-seventh Infantry Battalion goes spectacularly wrong. Men are dead--one, a young Iraqi, by her hand. Others were soldiers in her platoon. And the signals officer, Dixon Pulowski. Pulowski is another story entirely--Fowler and Pulowski had been lovers since they met at Fort Riley in Kansas.
From this conflagration, The Good Lieutenant unspools backward in time as Fowler and her platoon are guided into disaster by suspicious informants and questionable intelligence, their very mission the result of a previous snafu in which a soldier had been kidnapped by insurgents. And then even further back, before things began to go so wrong, we see the backstory unfold from points of view that usually are not shown in war coverage--a female frontline officer, for one, but also jaded career soldiers and Iraqis both innocent and not so innocent. Ultimately, as all these stories unravel, what is revealed is what happens when good intentions destroy, experience distorts, and survival becomes everything.
Brilliantly told and expertly captured by a terrific writer at the top of his form, Whitney Terrell's The Good Lieutenant is a gripping, insightful, necessary novel about a war that is proving to be the defining tragedy of our time.
275 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2016
15 people are currently reading
1101 people want to read
About the author
Whitney Terrell
10 books57 followersWhitney Terrell is the author of The Huntsman, a New York Times notable book, and The King of Kings County, which was selected as a best book of 2005 by The Christian Science Monitor. He is the recipient of a James A. Michener-Copernicus Society Award and a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University's Lewis Center for the Arts. He has reported on the war in Iraq for The Washington Post, Slate and National Public Radio and his nonfiction has additionally appeared in The New York Times and Harper's. His third novel, The Good Lieutenant, is out June 7, 2016, from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
June 8, 2016
I really wanted to like this book. It sounded really interesting and was highly reviewed. However, I found myself getting lost almost immediately. Terrell's timeline and layout chronologically is jumpy at best, impossible to follow at the worst. Reorienting myself as to what time frame the story was in was frustrating.
The novel is broken up into chapters, which are further broken into paragraphs told from a different character's perspective each time. I found this difficult to navigate, as it was hard to determine who was narrating in each section right away.
Another rough point for me was the terms and references being made. I have no connection to the military, no one in my family who's a member, so a lot of the terminology and language was difficult to translate as far as military word usage were concerned.
The novel is broken up into chapters, which are further broken into paragraphs told from a different character's perspective each time. I found this difficult to navigate, as it was hard to determine who was narrating in each section right away.
Another rough point for me was the terms and references being made. I have no connection to the military, no one in my family who's a member, so a lot of the terminology and language was difficult to translate as far as military word usage were concerned.
June 4, 2018
A really fascinating novel about war and how it touches people's lives in many different ways. The reversed chronology demands the reader's attention, but I found the effort worthwhile. It's probably best to read it in as few sittings as possible, otherwise it might be easy to lose track of things. Beyond the structure, I found the main characters interesting and compelling in an honest way. Overall I think this book was a sleeper hit of contemporary war literature in a way I hadn't expected.
February 11, 2017
I thought I would love this book based on its synopsis, but I just couldn't get into it. I felt like the first part was rather confusing, yes it starts with a bang, an IED goes off amongst a group of soldiers. Then the plot goes in reverse chronological order to reveal how people ended up in the position they were in. However, the beginning was so confusing that I wasn't sure what exactly happened to certain characters so then I lost the emotional connection that was supposed to be built up by the end of the book. Maybe I needed to pay more attention or go back and reread the beginning but I just got lost instead.
August 31, 2016
Not my cup of tea. It was awkward, I was lost most of the time, didn't like or sympathize with the characters, had no idea what most of the acronyms are and still don't know what a shackle is!!
January 5, 2018
I felt the style of telling the story in reverse was a bit of gimmick which detracted from the novel. It may warrant a second read to fully get the book, but I'm not willing to do this. It may have been better to have told the story in a more linear manner.
July 6, 2016
Stick with this one. It is worth the effort. I got a little lost the first time in and had to retread the first two chapters. Then it clicked and I was hooked. Emma Fowler's efforts to be a "good lieutenant," her insecurities, the lessons she learns, and even her persistent hesitance to acknowledge her own inner strength, worth and capabilities are grippingly familiar.
The insights that this novel explores extend far beyond the context of a female Army lieutenant. They are equally applicable to SO many women who are still trying to find our way in any predominantly male career or industry. This book is not just for those with a military interest.
The insights that this novel explores extend far beyond the context of a female Army lieutenant. They are equally applicable to SO many women who are still trying to find our way in any predominantly male career or industry. This book is not just for those with a military interest.
July 28, 2016
This is an important book that should be mandatory reading for those interested a textured view of modern warfare.
Terrell, based on his time as an embedded reporter in Iraq has weaved a gripping tale told in a surprisingly effective format - moving backward in time.
The writing is concise and the characters compelling. In particular his choice of a female protagonist in a war novel feels genuine and a welcomed twist.
Terrell captures the mundane nothingness of war with its horror equally skillfully.
This is a major work and one that will remain relevant for the foreseeable future.
Terrell, based on his time as an embedded reporter in Iraq has weaved a gripping tale told in a surprisingly effective format - moving backward in time.
The writing is concise and the characters compelling. In particular his choice of a female protagonist in a war novel feels genuine and a welcomed twist.
Terrell captures the mundane nothingness of war with its horror equally skillfully.
This is a major work and one that will remain relevant for the foreseeable future.
July 9, 2016
What do you say about a book filled with military slang, tracing the events in reverse chronological order from an IED explosion to earlier better days, which reverse chronicles the path from the harsh realities and necessities of war back to an earlier innocence and integrity? I admire Whitney Terrell's research, writing and the uniqueness of "The Good Lieutenant," but also find the story troubling and yet (in my limited second hand experience) probably a very accurate view of the effects of war on men and women. It's not a book to read for enjoyment, but maybe to grasp a fuller understanding.
July 15, 2016
This is a good book, though I can't say it's a great one. It feels at times more like a writing exercise than a fully realized novel. The novel moves back in time, starting at the climax and moving backwards until we see the characters young and untouched by war. I'll stop short of calling the format gimmicky, because it's certainly effective at times, but overall doesn't quite add up to the visceral gut punch I think it's going for. It's a worthy entry into the growing canon of Iraq war novels, but not anything that transcends the genre.
August 30, 2016
I was really optimistic about this book because the premise seemed strong and I had heard good things about it. In the end, though, the reverse chronology didn't really work for me. I had a hard time keeping track of all the details and had to do a lot of flipping back to review what had happened at what time. I was left with some unanswered questions and felt like some aspects could have been fleshed out a bit more. Still, it was an interesting perspective on the Iraq war and shed some light on the inner lives of soldiers.
June 23, 2017
The story and information about the war in Iraq was first class, but I did not like the reverse chronological order and the changing points of view (initially it was difficult to figure out who was speaking). In addition the dialogue was riddled with acronyms that are probably familiar if you have a military background (which I do not). A simple glossary at the end of the book would be a tremendous help in this area.
June 21, 2016
I gave it a chance, but I just couldn't get into this book. He needed to develop the characters a little before jumping into Iraq.
September 6, 2016
I just could not finish this book.
February 9, 2019
This book really did its best to hide its great story, but by the end I managed to discover it. Sneaky! Not sure why the author thought putting the book in reverse was a good idea. It worked, in a way, but part of me can’t help but to think this book would’ve been better off read back to front. Instead I found myself flipping back to previous parts of the book once I realized the meaning/context of what I’d read only pages earlier. Why do I care about some guy getting blown up by an IED in chapter one versus establishing a relationship with this character over the course of an entire book and then having him blown up at the end of the book? What do you think is more effective????
Onto my other major gripe, and this one is a bit more pedantic: it’s clear the author did a lot of research. And it’s nice to have a book written about us, the Loggies, for once. But there were a few glaring discrepancies that I had a hard time getting past in order to get back to actually enjoying the story.
1. We are hit over the head with the knowledge that LT Fowler is a PLATOON leader. That’s like 40ish guys. Instead we hear the same 5 last names throughout the entire book, like they’re the only ones that exist. Did the author mix up the classifications for a team and a platoon???
2. No one addresses each other by their rank and last name in this book. Not only is that inaccurate, but I had to keep cross referencing to see what rank everyone was, because that kind of info definitely plays into the dynamics of any character interaction. One of my NCOs once told me that just like I earned the right to be called Sir, they earned the right to be addressed as Sergeant. You only refer to the lower enlisted by last name only.
I could go on about the inaccuracies but the book is fiction and it was written by a civilian, so to that extent he did a good job. Plus, like I said, it was cool reading about stuff I’d actually done before (Admittedly, in South Korea).
Onto my other major gripe, and this one is a bit more pedantic: it’s clear the author did a lot of research. And it’s nice to have a book written about us, the Loggies, for once. But there were a few glaring discrepancies that I had a hard time getting past in order to get back to actually enjoying the story.
1. We are hit over the head with the knowledge that LT Fowler is a PLATOON leader. That’s like 40ish guys. Instead we hear the same 5 last names throughout the entire book, like they’re the only ones that exist. Did the author mix up the classifications for a team and a platoon???
2. No one addresses each other by their rank and last name in this book. Not only is that inaccurate, but I had to keep cross referencing to see what rank everyone was, because that kind of info definitely plays into the dynamics of any character interaction. One of my NCOs once told me that just like I earned the right to be called Sir, they earned the right to be addressed as Sergeant. You only refer to the lower enlisted by last name only.
I could go on about the inaccuracies but the book is fiction and it was written by a civilian, so to that extent he did a good job. Plus, like I said, it was cool reading about stuff I’d actually done before (Admittedly, in South Korea).
July 3, 2024
هناك موال يغنيه تيار اليسار الأمريكي .. لا يمكنك أن تنصر قضية واحدة من قضايا العدالة الاجتماعية بل عليك نصرتها جميعاً .. على أي تيار محسوب المؤلف؟ لا أدري .. لكني أدري بماذا يسوق هذا العمل .. نصرة المرأة
تبدأ الرواية بالعراق مع الجيش الأمريكي وفريق يحاول البحث عن جندي مفقود .. رئيس الفريق مرأة ، بمجرد معرفة ذلك تشوقت لقراءة العمل مع شعور بالقلق .. هل سيرتكب الخطأ ذاته؟ .. وبالفعل اخطأ، العراق التي يصفها ليست عراقنا ولا يوجد وصف كثير حتى ثم الشخصيات العراقية تبدو ورقية ويمكن جعلها في ثلاث أصناف.. عدو الامريكان .. المتبلي على الامريكان ! .. ثم صديق الامريكان أو الذي يعلم أنهم مسالمين .. والصنف الأخير فيه رجل أبكم و طفل!! ، هل يعني هذا أن المؤلف يتعمد تلميع صورة الجيش؟ .. لا فأحد العساكر يعترف بأن الاعتقاد أنهم جاءوا لنشر الديمقراطية نكته .. لكن هذا أحد العساكر ولا يحق لأحد خارج الجيش انتقاد الجيش!!
الأحداث تأتي بإتجاه عكسي فبعد الحدث نعود للخلف في محاولة من المؤلف لارتباط القارئ بالفريق عاطفياً و فرصة لتصوير شخصية القائدة ، لكن المشكلة ان البطلة جاءت كبقية الشخصيات الرجالية ، لم نرى خلجات نفسها وصراعها النفسي كمرأة ، الغضب من التعليقات الذكورية و احتقارها لا يجعلها مرأة.. ثم هناك بعض التصورات الرجالية التي وضعت في الشخصية وهذه مشكلة كتابة الرجال عن النساء ، فالتفاخر ��ممارسة الجنس ليست رغبة نسائية كما صورها المؤلف كذلك تذكرها لمقاطع من الجنس .
الكتابة هوليوودية بامتياز و أعني بهذا أن السرد يعتمد على الأحداث و الشخصيات [ حوار و حركة] لا يوجد وصف ولا كتابة أدبية ، رغم خدمة المؤلف في الجيش - وقد يكون خدم في العراق - إلا أن الرواية ليست فيها روح ، لا تشعر بالتجربة الإنسانية ولا بالصراع الوجداني ولا الوقفات الفكرية .. الرواية فيلم حركة .. فيلم حربي من أفلام هوليوود .
تبدأ الرواية بالعراق مع الجيش الأمريكي وفريق يحاول البحث عن جندي مفقود .. رئيس الفريق مرأة ، بمجرد معرفة ذلك تشوقت لقراءة العمل مع شعور بالقلق .. هل سيرتكب الخطأ ذاته؟ .. وبالفعل اخطأ، العراق التي يصفها ليست عراقنا ولا يوجد وصف كثير حتى ثم الشخصيات العراقية تبدو ورقية ويمكن جعلها في ثلاث أصناف.. عدو الامريكان .. المتبلي على الامريكان ! .. ثم صديق الامريكان أو الذي يعلم أنهم مسالمين .. والصنف الأخير فيه رجل أبكم و طفل!! ، هل يعني هذا أن المؤلف يتعمد تلميع صورة الجيش؟ .. لا فأحد العساكر يعترف بأن الاعتقاد أنهم جاءوا لنشر الديمقراطية نكته .. لكن هذا أحد العساكر ولا يحق لأحد خارج الجيش انتقاد الجيش!!
الأحداث تأتي بإتجاه عكسي فبعد الحدث نعود للخلف في محاولة من المؤلف لارتباط القارئ بالفريق عاطفياً و فرصة لتصوير شخصية القائدة ، لكن المشكلة ان البطلة جاءت كبقية الشخصيات الرجالية ، لم نرى خلجات نفسها وصراعها النفسي كمرأة ، الغضب من التعليقات الذكورية و احتقارها لا يجعلها مرأة.. ثم هناك بعض التصورات الرجالية التي وضعت في الشخصية وهذه مشكلة كتابة الرجال عن النساء ، فالتفاخر ��ممارسة الجنس ليست رغبة نسائية كما صورها المؤلف كذلك تذكرها لمقاطع من الجنس .
الكتابة هوليوودية بامتياز و أعني بهذا أن السرد يعتمد على الأحداث و الشخصيات [ حوار و حركة] لا يوجد وصف ولا كتابة أدبية ، رغم خدمة المؤلف في الجيش - وقد يكون خدم في العراق - إلا أن الرواية ليست فيها روح ، لا تشعر بالتجربة الإنسانية ولا بالصراع الوجداني ولا الوقفات الفكرية .. الرواية فيلم حركة .. فيلم حربي من أفلام هوليوود .
May 24, 2018
I really wanted to like this book, but the backwards-in-time narrative format combined with audiobook listening in distraction-heavy NYC kept me from fully submerging in the story. I liked the characters in general, and I appreciate the style and choices made by the author, but I just don’t think it’s a book I’ll pick up again - either in print or digitally. I really loved that the author showed rare viewpoints of this war were in— and showed a flawed female soldier. Lt. Fowler is not portrayed hero simply because she’s a woman in charge of a platoon of men; she has doubts aplenty and an actual personality, she’s certainly female but it’s not the whole point of the book. Gives me greater perspective on what it likes to be a woman in the US Army.
June 18, 2017
I took me awhile to get into this one, but once I did I thought it was fantastic. The novel is about a young lieutenant deployed in Iraq. During the beginning of the novel, Lt. Fowler gets a couple of her soldiers killed on a mission. What follows, is a series of flashbacks of Lt. Fowler before getting deployed. Throughout the novel, Terrell portrays Fowler as a young officer that is clearly over her head. Per usual, Terrell creates memorable charters within an interesting plot. The novel is worth a look.
October 22, 2017
Describing the mechanism used to tell this story without giving away important plot elements may not be possible. I had not read any of the blurbs or jacket notes which forced me to figure a few things out as I read. If I can do that, so can you!
Suffice it to say that this is a war novel, a book about Iraq and American soldiers working there. Salted with humor and insights into the specific conflict the story also reaches into the very heart of war and warriors. Everything is wrapped in a love story.
Recommended.
Suffice it to say that this is a war novel, a book about Iraq and American soldiers working there. Salted with humor and insights into the specific conflict the story also reaches into the very heart of war and warriors. Everything is wrapped in a love story.
Recommended.
August 7, 2021
This book is like a drink that needs to be slammed not sipped. The chronology flows backwards and this can be challenging if you put the book down for a few days.
Beyond that... Emma Emma Emma. I loved her in all her flaws, insecurities, ambition, and nurturing. She was immensely relatable.
There is so much more to unpack here. This book will make you work hard to understand the many, many layers. I wanted more when I finished. It felt like the story was just taking off. Shelving for a re-read.
Beyond that... Emma Emma Emma. I loved her in all her flaws, insecurities, ambition, and nurturing. She was immensely relatable.
There is so much more to unpack here. This book will make you work hard to understand the many, many layers. I wanted more when I finished. It felt like the story was just taking off. Shelving for a re-read.
July 26, 2022
This war novel was a good account of conflict. Men don't like being bossed around by women, especially in the male-dominated profession of arms. The titular character is Emma Fowler, a feisty Army officer in charge of a transportation platoon. The men under her charge doubt her leadership and she must prove her worth in the battlefield. Meanwhile, she's having an affair with a communications officer who couldn't care less about following orders. The characters here have skins in the game. This is a good addition into the growing canon of contemporary war literature. That is all. 🪖
January 25, 2018
Maybe if I had more familiarity with military service, this book would be interesting reading. In addition to the way it's constructed (backwards chronology, which works, but wouldn't have made sense if I didn't know that in advance), it has military jargon throughout. I enjoyed the last few chapters.
September 14, 2017
Took a little while to get what was going on. I like how the book went further and further back in time to explore the relationships and baggage between the characters that led to the events that transpired in the first part of the book.
July 20, 2019
Ambitious storytelling; told in reverse chronological order, I found it difficult to follow and was constantly flipping back to earlier chapters; books get better at the end, but you really have to want it to keep reading
May 26, 2020
The book jumped around to different parts of the story and became confusing at times. It wasn’t until the last 5 pages that the book tied together. Also, it was not a leadership book but rather a romantic/dramatic story of a female officer
May 20, 2017
Gripping war novel. The Lieutenant in the title is a woman.
March 12, 2018
Excellent book on the impact of war on those who fight it. Interesting concept of telling the story working backwards, like the movie Memento if anyone say that.
May 16, 2018
Frustrating …
Terrell’s choice to write each section in reverse order of how they unfold is gimmicky at best, and totally distracting at its worst.
Terrell’s choice to write each section in reverse order of how they unfold is gimmicky at best, and totally distracting at its worst.
September 5, 2018
scathing
September 16, 2018
Reverse chronological order gimmicky style.
May 14, 2019
It was pretty good, i enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews