Summary: There's a whole lot of triage going on in Scott Anderson's debut novel. First, there is the triage at the small Kurdish hospital where Mark Walsh, a wounded American war photographer, has been brought, in the wake of a battle between Kurdish separatists and Iraqi troops: those men deemed unlikely to survive by the woefully overworked and underequipped doctor in charge are summarily shot. Then there is the triage Mark himself performs after returning to the States as he goes through his various shots, sorting out which images will make the cut. Finally, there is the central mystery of what Mark saw and did during his time in Kurdistan -- events so traumatic they continue to haunt him even after his physical wounds have healed. Though there appears to be no medical reason for it, Mark can't walk, and his Spanish girlfriend, Elena, is eventually forced to accept help from her estranged grandfather, Joachim -- a psychiatrist who helped "purify" the consciences of Franco's fascist officers following the Spanish civil war.

Eventually the three travel together to Spain, where Mark, with Joachim's help, must face the secret he cannot bear to remember. As Joachim and Mark slowly forge a relationship with each other, they also strengthen their separate bonds to Elena. But as each man reveals his experience of war to the other, it becomes clear that when well-intentioned men commit evil acts -- even for the best of reasons -- there will always be a high price to pay ( )

What a gem this book is! Part mystery, part history Anderson's novel is a fascinating account of what war does to those who are involved. Centred around a war photographer's tramatic experience of losing a close friend and colleague, this is a poignant account of what the legacy of war is. Recently an Australian war correspondent had a similar experience and his reactions were very similar to Anderson's descriptions. Embedded in the text is the work of Joaquim during the Franco years which was all new to me. I've read it now quite a few times and put it in the same class as Graham Greene's The Quiet American - unforgettable. ( )