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Michael Costello is a writer who served as a U.S. Army infantryman in Vietnam.
Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite
Michael Costello’s war novel, A Long Time From Home, is a gripping story about love, friendship, courage, violence, murder, and treachery. Sgt. Harry Pitts comes from a family of soldiers and enlists in the US Army at the outbreak of the Vietnam War. Leaving his family and his girlfriend Ann at home in New England, he finds himself in the middle of the harsh Vietnamese jungle and is confronted with the ugly realities of a seemingly senseless war. Leading a US Army reconnaissance patrol unit, Harry’s team is abandoned by the helicopter pilot, resulting in the loss of some members of his unit and some of the crew of the chopper that subsequently rescued them. Harry, also called the Duke, recovered physically in no time, but the memory of those who died when his team was compromised and the Chinook pilot’s treachery haunts him. He could have gone home and escaped the war, but Harry opts to stay in Vietnam. Will he survive the Vietnam War and find the answers to the raging questions that consume his mind?
Fast paced and filled with action, A Long Time From Home, is a war story that pushes its protagonists physically, emotionally, and morally to their limits. It brings the reader right smack in the middle of the unpopular Vietnam War. Author Michael Costello certainly knows what he is talking about, having served as a US Army infantryman in Vietnam. His descriptive style is vivid and palpable, thus creating characters who are three dimensional and real. From the comforts of home to the jungles of Vietnam, the men who enlisted in the Vietnam War expected fighting the enemy and the loss of lives, but they get more than they bargained for, and most of them will emerge from this war emotionally scarred for life. This novel reminds us about the horrors of war as well as the resilience of the human spirit - that in the midst of violence and deceit, courage and honor can still prevail. This is a novel that gives us a real picture of a war that should not have been fought at all.
