Review of Sh*t Happens

[Stephen Christopher 1]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Sh*t Happens" by Gavin L James..]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Vietnam War was a misunderstood and heavily misrepresented part of our history. Young men were sent, against their will, to a foreign country to fight a war they didn’t understand. When they returned, they were damaged — physically and mentally. Instead of being taken care of, they were persecuted, spat on in the streets, and thrown out of their homes.

They weren’t the only victims of the war. The innocent Vietnamese whose villages were destroyed and families decimated by rape and murder also suffered equally.

In Gavin L. James’ fictional story Sh*t Happens, we learn about this time from the point of view of three people directly affected by the war. First up is Steve Tanner (nicknamed Spanner), who was drafted against his will and barely survived to tell his story. Next is Rachel Hanson, a spirited activist and protestor who has to deal with demons of her own. Finally is Nguyen Xuan Lien, a Viet Cong whose life is thrown into chaos thanks to the war.

The story is told in the third person from 1969 to 1991. What I enjoyed the most about Sh*t Happens is that the entire book is a history lesson from a different point of view from those in reference books. I especially appreciated the “General Background” sections at the beginning of Parts One and Three. I learned a lot and really enjoyed this extra component of the story.

What’s most important about this ‘history lesson’ is that it sheds light on the people who were most affected: the returning soldiers from Vietnam and the Vietnamese people who lived through it. In particular, it focuses on life immediately after the war, which isn’t a common theme in many books.

The Vietnam War isn’t the only historical event in the book. The AIDS crisis of the mid-to-late 1980s is also included, and I appreciated how the author integrated this into his story.

I loved how the author weaved the three lead characters into a web that connected them all. It made me cheer the three of them on despite their questionable decisions. I admit the book is a page-turner, and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.

Sadly, though, I was left disappointed. Where the book left me cold was the abrupt ending; there were many storylines left unanswered. Does this mean a sequel is in the works? However, my research didn’t find anything.

This book needs another round of editing. There are some spelling and grammatical errors, the misuse of pronouns, and the overuse of articles. One error caused me to go back and reread sections several times. Spanner refers to Lien, as Leni. There’s no explanation as to why, although I think on page 229, it’s supposed to be spelled Leni for the first time when he says, “Perhaps I’ll call you Lien if that’s alright?” If corrected, it would make sense in the rest of the book. Then again, on page 296, he refers to her as Lien, so it’s inconsistent.

There’s another error on page 498. When Dung is in a boat on the South China Sea, the author refers to him as An. An is back in Vietnam at this time, so he couldn’t possibly be in this scene. In the following paragraph, he is called Dung, which again confuses things.

There are also some odd line breaks mid-sentence, but I’m putting those down to Kindle formatting issues.

I wanted to give this book a perfect score, but the editing issues and the open ending have made it necessary to reduce it to 4 out of 5 stars.

Sh*t Happens would appeal to lovers of historical romance and readers who would like to get a personal point-of-view of others affected by the Vietnam War. The book is more suited to adults as it contains profanity and sex scenes. There are scenes of war, murder, and rape, and one sexual assault is described in graphic detail, so this may trigger some readers.

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Sh*t Happens
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[Jeff Kanda]

This book seems to describe the challenges that the people of Vietnam faced. I believe that not everyone should be forced to join the military but if one feels the desire to do so, they should join. I have read some other books that talk about the Vietnam wars and it seems they are similar to this book. Thanks for the detailed review!

[Gerry Steen]

This book definitely captures my interest. I enjoy reading historical fiction. The Vietnam War and the Aids Crisis are both events that need to be revisited and learned about. This book provides us with the opportunity to do so. The characters mentioned in this review, a soldier, an activist, and a Vietcong citizen, are intriguing.Their stories will teach us more. Stephen, thank you for this concise and informative review. I love the title!

[Stephen Christopher 1]

This book seems to describe the challenges that the people of Vietnam faced. I believe that not everyone should be forced to join the military but if one feels the desire to do so, they should join. I have read some other books that talk about the Vietnam wars and it seems they are similar to this book. Thanks for the detailed review!

Hi Jeff, thanks for stopping by. Yes, these guys were drafted against their will and then returned to a country that hated them even though they had no say in what happened. It's absolutely appalling. I love books like this that shed light on the situation.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

This book definitely captures my interest. I enjoy reading historical fiction. The Vietnam War and the Aids Crisis are both events that need to be revisited and learned about. This book provides us with the opportunity to do so. The characters mentioned in this review, a soldier, an activist, and a Vietcong citizen, are intriguing.Their stories will teach us more. Stephen, thank you for this concise and informative review. I love the title!

Thanks as always, Gerry, for reading my review. sh*t happens is actually a term used by the soldiers who were resigned to the fact that nothing was under their control. It's appropriate and is used throughout the book to reiterate this message.

[Julie Basil]

This sounds like a very informative work of historical fiction that appeals to those who desire to learn more about the Vietnam war and its impact. I can understand your frustration with the abundance of grammatical and typographical errors, as these errors really distract from reading the story. Based on your criticisms of the grammar issues and the unresolved ending, I do not plan to pick up this book. Keep up the good work!

[Mfon Ukim]

Great review. Have always been intrigued with the wars America did poke their nose in overtime. Many of such wars were needless —like the Vietnamese war — and should have been avoided from the start.

This is to you, the reviewer. Maybe you can try organizing your work into a couple paragraphs. Makes it tidier and more compact

[Stephen Christopher 1]

This sounds like a very informative work of historical fiction that appeals to those who desire to learn more about the Vietnam war and its impact. I can understand your frustration with the abundance of grammatical and typographical errors, as these errors really distract from reading the story. Based on your criticisms of the grammar issues and the unresolved ending, I do not plan to pick up this book. Keep up the good work!

Hi Julie, yes it's s shame as the story itself is captivating, but the constant back and forth to figure out why her name was spelt differently really took a toll on my enjoyment level.

[Risper Ouma Anyango]

I liked the way you described the whole atmosphere that surrounded that war. It was a whole baseless war and resources were wasted. Many of the soldiers had ptsd after

[RJ Reviews]

I always admire how detailed and insightful your reviews are. This one is no exception. Any war leaves behind traumas and chaos. Vietnam war would top that list. I can't even imagine what those young men had to endure. My heart weeps for those families torn apart by unnecessary cruelty. Kudos to the author for shedding lights on the unspoken truths of Vietnam war from the victims' POVs. And thanks to you for sharing your honest thoughts on this interesting book.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

I liked the way you described the whole atmosphere that surrounded that war. It was a whole baseless war and resources were wasted. Many of the soldiers had ptsd after

Yes, that's true and this novel covers that exceptionally well, there's even one returned soldier whose PTSD is so bad it becomes a pivotal sub-plot.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

I always admire how detailed and insightful your reviews are. This one is no exception. Any war leaves behind traumas and chaos. Vietnam war would top that list. I can't even imagine what those young men had to endure. My heart weeps for those families torn apart by unnecessary cruelty. Kudos to the author for shedding lights on the unspoken truths of Vietnam war from the victims' POVs. And thanks to you for sharing your honest thoughts on this interesting book.

Thanks RJ, you're so very kind. I really enjoyed the back-stories of the three main protaganists in this book and learned so much about the war. If you've got any interest in reading about this war this story will captivate you.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Great review. Have always been intrigued with the wars America did poke their nose in overtime. Many of such wars were needless —like the Vietnamese war — and should have been avoided from the start.

This is to you, the reviewer. Maybe you can try organizing your work into a couple paragraphs. Makes it tidier and more compact

Thanks for the tip, I'll keep it in mind for future reviews.

[Cristiano Bellucci]

Thank you very much, Stephen, for your wonderful review. It is incredible how that war was a mistake. A mistake that changed the lives of many people forever and against their will.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Thank you very much, Stephen, for your wonderful review. It is incredible how that war was a mistake. A mistake that changed the lives of many people forever and against their will.

It really was, and what I loved about this book was that the story was told from the POV of people who were victims of the war.