Perfume River: A Novel

I read this because my husband and I have planned a trip to Vietnam and his earlier book, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, was recommended as reading. So I was a bit disappointed more of this wasn't set in Vietnam - my problem not his!My husband is a Vietnam vet, so it was interesting to read accounts of how that now distant war affected the various characters. Very good writing; however his style, to me, grew a bit monotonous toward the end.

Perfume River, Robert Olen Butler, author and narratorWhen the book opens, an older couple, Robert and Darla Quinlan are having dinner in the New Leaf Co-op. They are engaged in conversation and are quite comfortable in each other’s company. When a strange man enters who seems disheveled and obviously homeless, Robert Quinlan, aged 70, notices him. He thinks he might be a Vietnam War veteran, like himself, but he is not old enough. Coincidentally, this man and Robert, share the shortened version of the name Robert. The “out of place” man, Bob Weber, is not a veteran, but is the son of one. It was his father Calvin who served during the Vietnam War. Calvin was a stern, demanding man who had expected a certain kind of aggressive behavior from his son. His idea of what made a real man was not compatible with Bob’s personality. What made him most proud and happy about his son, was his prowess with a weapon. Bob’s interaction with his father had been conflicted and Bob was now quite disturbed. Because of therapy, Bob is sometimes able to cover up his difficulty in processing information properly. If he tries very hard and listens to the right voices in his head, the voices that calm him down, he sees reality and does not hear his angry father. His father’s voice incites him. For some reason, Robert finds himself drawn to Bob, and he wants to help him.Robert, 70, and his brother Jimmy, 68, had a fraught relationship with their father, too. Jimmy is a draft dodger who escaped to Canada with his girlfriend Linda when he was 21. He remains in Canada, the safe haven for those who wanted to avoid the much contested Vietnam War and has been estranged from his family ever since. He and his wife Linda have an open marriage which has gone through many stages. He has recently become involved with a girlfriend named Heather and Linda is involved with the husband of a friend, causing a crisis in that marriage. Heather is very young and seems more like his grandchild than his mate. Robert, in an effort to gain his father’s love and approval, enlisted in the service, but he intended to avoid the fighting with a desk job. He was sent to Vietnam where he became involved with Lien, a young Vietnamese woman. Their relationship had an enormous effect on him, and it has remained a secret for decades. Bob’s father William is 88 years old. He served during World War II and he, like Calvin, has particular ideas about how men should behave. He doesn’t give his love freely. He is disappointed with both of his son’s actions. Peggy, his wife, never shows outward disagreement with her husband, as was the custom of the times; she voices no reproach to him or her sons and does not defy William even when he causes his son Jimmy to abandon all of them. He demands courage from his sons. Although his mannerisms and expectations made it difficult for either of his sons to feel either approved of or well loved by him, the grandchildren and great grandchildren see him differently. Robert’s son Kevin loves his grandfather, as does Kevin’s 20 year old son Jake, William’s great grandchild. Jake brings the story to a conclusion that takes the story full circle back to its beginning in its theme of war.William has been injured very badly in a terrible fall. He is in the hospital in grave condition. Their mother Peggy thinks it is now time to reconcile the family, and she asks Robert to try and contact Jimmy. She has tried but has been unsuccessful in convincing him to return. Will Robert be able to find the courage to reach out to him across the years and miles? Will Jimmy be able to overlook the family’s history? Will he be able to forgive his father?As the story unravels, it revolves largely around the lives of Robert, Bob and Jimmy as they try to come to terms with their memories of their family life, the effects of war on their soldier fathers, and their relationship with others because of that upbringing. The difficulties they experienced are revealed through their memories of events and conversations with their spouses and others who interact with them. Each one’s life had been deeply affected by the politics of the times.Is war ever good? Is it sometimes necessary? What kind of person makes war possible? The effects of war on these men altered them so much. Those that returned were no longer the same person that left. It was difficult for them to acclimate to normal life. They are hardened and became secretive about what took place, sometimes ashamed of their behavior, sometimes confused by it. Some of the things they witnessed and or participated in were too difficult for them to discuss honestly with anyone, and continued to haunt them long after they returned home. The memories went on to have an often detrimental effect on their behavior and family relationships. In turn, their “sins” were then visited upon their children. Should a child please a parent or himself? Should a child become something else entirely to simply please a parent in order to feel loved by that parent?The relationship between father and son and sibling to sibling is deftly explored and contrasted through their thoughts and introspection as they try to solve their problems. Because there are so many underlying secrets slowly revealed, the behavior of a character is often misinterpreted. Incomplete information causes others to sometimes jump to uninformed conclusions and incorrect judgments. Only Bob, however, makes judgments that are completely irrational, at times, but all make faulty judgments at times. Bob is simply the compilation of all of the ideas the author presents. He expresses the results of those ideas in their most extreme form.The tale is dark and sometimes depressing, but it is very well written, and it inspires deep thought about war, military service and parental relationships. While it seems to be somewhat of an apology to the soldiers of the Vietnam War, on the one hand, those who were very much maligned for their service, it also obviously is a condemnation of war, since it illustrates the terrible effect it had on those involved and on those future generations that followed them, as well, even long after the war has ended.The novel has no chapter breaks and sometimes one characters voice fades into another’s. The narrative builds slowly to a crescendo at various points in the story but then descends again when the tension quickly eases. Each character suffers from conflicting emotions, some more intense than others. Each character seems to have unhealed, invisible wounds because of their paternal relationships. The old pain and grievances still have tremendous power over them. Each has a need to confess their perceived sins to someone, in order to be forgiven. Each wanted to be accepted and loved. Each has shut out painful thoughts or people from their lives. The war and military service, or lack thereof, has had a dark effect on each of them. Each has felt betrayed at some point. Although each of the main male characters questions his judgment, and often suffers from self-doubt and occasionally has mood swings, it is only Bob is noticeably disturbed and permanently damaged. Bob hears voices. Bob, who was the most indirectly involved in any war, is the one most injured by it. Bob is homeless, alone and somewhat lost as he tries to navigate down the road of his life in his deranged mental state.Each character experiences similar emotions but handles them uniquely. The book makes you think about the nature of war, what makes a hero and what makes a coward and even makes you consider whether or not a war is ever necessary. It makes you wonder how the negative effects of that kind of traumatic experience can be handled far better so it does not revisit future generations. Perhaps it is better to avoid war altogether, if ever possible. In the end, everyone discovers that unresolved issues remain unresolved after death. Can this premise bring them all back together again and reconcile their family relationships as their war wounds, emotional and physical, that have remained hidden for decades are now revealed? Secrets have separated them, will the truth reunite them? Is forgiveness possible?

An affecting novel that works its way gently along the fault lines between fathers and sons; between those who serve their country and those who choose not to; between the members of one generation and the ones that follow and the ones who came before. About learning new ways to reach each other and ways to resolve and reconcile, within ourselves and between ourselves and others. A touching read.

Perfume River is a completely different kettle of fish to the other Robert Olen Butler novels that I have read; namely the Christopher Marlowe Cobb thrillers. It took me a while to get comfortable with the rhythm and style of writing of this book which flits back and forth between thoughts and memories and deals with the issues of guilt and failure.The main theme of The Perfume River surrounds the Vietnam War and how its legacy still affects the leading Protagonist Robert Quinlan’s life, even after almost 50 years. It’s a book about familial relationships, the threads that link through generations, and also madness. Robert Quinlan is haunted by his experience in the Vietnam War and he mistakenly believes a homeless man he meets in a diner is a veteran soldier. Their lives interweave throughout the novel, both focusing strongly on their relationships with their fathers. The novel is well written and I feel that the author has captured the essence of the characters but I can’t altogether say that I actually enjoyed the book as such, although any book that makes you think has got to be a worthwhile read.Curiously at the end of the book (my copy was provided to review by Real Readers powered by Nudge) I thought the novel had ended as the last facing page was ‘About Us’ (the publishers) but when I turned this page over there was another three paragraphs of the story! I presume that the page has just been affixed the wrong way round but I have to admit I preferred the ending finishing where I had first thought it had!

Perfume River – Another Modern American ClassicRobert Olen Butler in my mind is one of the best American authors of the moment, whose novels and short stories are second to none and easy to see why he is a Pulitzer Prize winner. Once again Olen Butler tackles a subject many would like to shy away from, our personal relationships, and especially amongst those in our own families. The reaction to a family member that you have not seen in nearly 50 years, with a background of the Vietnam War, that has torn your family apart.Robert Olen Butler has woven together a complex but beautiful story, where many years after the Vietnam War, along with the PTSD of the former combatants has caused a rift in the family. With an elderly parent dying one brother still refuses to come to his father’s bedside in his final hours. While at the same time a homeless man, with mental health issues, has a devastating impact upon the entire family.Robert Quinlan and his wife Darla both teach at Florida State University, is now starting to bear the scars of over 40 years of marriage, stuck in a rut and with their own separate studies in the house, things do not look good. Coupled with Robert’s flashbacks to the Vietnam war, his past always seems to disturb the present. Even though this is a short book, and some may say read quickly and easily, it is not an easy read as it is thought provoking, challenging. Our perception to war, how a family can divide over it, one going to war, the other escaping to Canada. How one child lives up to a father’s expectations and another does not attain the same level of respect in the father’s eyes.Some may say that this book is rather too melancholic but I think that adds to the atmosphere of the book. The book named after a river in Vietnam reflects the symbiotic relationship Americans have with the country, in part to the war and its legacy. It also questions the dysfunctionality of family, and that memories can be timeless whether we like them or not. A challenging and emotional book, and this is yet another book in the Vietnam related fiction, a welcome and fresh addition.

Perfume River - Robert Olen ButlerI have read three of Robert Olen Butler’s previous works and I enjoyed them immensely. But they were all Christopher Marlowe Cobb mysteries. They were deceptive works, easy accessible as historical novels of intrigue, war and adventure but written with an intelligence that I often feared might be overlooked. So I was delighted when Real Readers send me this copy of Mr. Butler’s new book. And it isn’t a Kit Cobb mystery which excited me even more. Butler takes themes partially explored in his previous works; relationships on several levels from filial, to lust, to love, to loyalty, to compassion and here they are developed with a more cerebral and philosophical style. War remains a kind of additional character, if you will. Here it is both the second World War and the Vietnam War. Possibly those aspects are more accessible if you are an American but that in no way dilutes the impact of the book for those of us of other nationalities.It is a poignant, sensitive tale centreing around Robert Quinlan and his wife Dorla. Their relationship is the catalyst to explore Robert’s family relationships and his past.There’s plenty here for people to identity with; guilt, regret, secrecy, anger, disappointment and resentment. I hesitate to comment on the Perfume River of the title as it could amount to a spoiler which is to do a disservice to the book.The characters are flawed and needy in some respects which allows the humanity of the book to shine through. The pace is languorous sometimes but it perfectly captures the way we sometimes hesitate in both our thoughts and our deeds. The writing style is competent and flowing. As a narrative it reminds one of a symphony where all the parts combine together as one for the finished work. The final denouement was not unexpected and I don’t think the writer intended it to be. All the clues were there. It was more of a case of how and when will this act occur.This is one of the books that can leave you thinking long after you’ve finished it. And in my book (no pun intended) it doesn’t get any better.

I have read so many novels about mother, daughter relationships, a common enough theme in fiction, that it was a welcome change of pace to read one about the relationships of father and son. The Vietnam War is threaded throughout, Robert the son who went and committed an act he could never admit nor come to term with and Jimmy, the younger son, who chose to flee to Canada rather than fight in a war in which he did not believe. The story is narrated by Robert, now in his early seventies, his backstory, his marriage to Darla and his thoughts about his father. The father he had always tried to please and despite following in what he thought were his Father's footsteps, he never could. So fathers and sons and war experiences, but so wonderfully and clearly written. Wars which polarize and divide a family for over forty years. A mother who stands by her man at the expense of her sons. Common enough back then, women did this sort of thing, many probably still do. Hard choices. We learn of Jimmy's life in Canada, successful but now reaching a crisis point of its own. There is also another man, another Bob, a vagabond with his own experiences with a father who had been in the war. His story will become part of the others and his actions will effect them all.There was one line and a set of words in this novel that resonated. Emotionally obtuse, so applicable to my own husband's father, another father with two sons. I identified greatly with this novel because of the experiences of my husband and his brother, with a father set in his ways, unable to see outside himself to the damage he had wrought within his own family. So a personal read for me though I did not know that when I started. A story about the damages war can cause, not just on the battlefields but in the family itself.ARC from publisher.