Kevin Powers’ first novel, The Yellow Birds, takes its name from a military marching cadence that might seem harmless. However, as those who have served in the military in recent years may be familiar with, the cadence tells the story of a peaceful bird being enticed into a room and ruthlessly killed. This cadence is unsettling due to its unique blend of poetry, crudeness, and brutality, with no apparent reason behind the depicted actions. Powers’ novel, which possesses a similar poetic, vulgar, and violent nature, finally provides some understanding of the enigmatic cadence it alludes to.
The Yellow Birds recounts the journey of Murph and Bartle, two youthful privates preparing for war in Iraq. Murph, an 18-year-old recruit from West Virginia, is a fresh face in the Army. In contrast, Bartle, a 21-year-old hailing from Virginia, has already accumulated more experience as a soldier compared to Murph. Nevertheless, their imminent deployment aligns them on equal ground.
Deploying from their homes in the south, a shared experience among many veterans of these wars, they arrive in Al Tafar. This fictional city closely resembles Tal Afar, where Powers himself served during his military service. While Tal Afar was once the hub of successful counterinsurgency campaigns prior to the Surge, Powers dedicates only a small portion of his book to combat scenes, monotonous patrols, and mundane tasks that typically define deployments for conventional forces. Instead, he focuses on the soldiers’ personal experiences, the war they faced, and the primitive way of life they managed to sustain temporarily.
Powers captivates the reader by presenting his story as a challenging enigma, compelling them to follow his clues, despite the anticipation of unpleasant discoveries. He teases the reader through various methods, predominantly through the arrangement of events in chronological order. Initially, he introduces the readers to Murph, Bartle, and other characters, as well as the war itself, by starting the narrative in-country. However, in chapter two, he goes back in time by almost nine months to the origins of their friendship. In chapter three, which occurs after their deployment, the reader becomes aware that something is gravely amiss and that there are dark deeds and shameful secrets that will be unraveled in subsequent chapters.
The author’s skillful control over the details and pacing of the riddle leads to a surprising reveal. Powers effectively utilizes his poetic and lyrical style to dictate when and how the reader experiences the story. Drawing from a diverse range of literary influences, Powers develops his themes through a selection of images that are both unique and recurring, effectively conveying his quest for knowledge of God, seeking higher meaning and a connection with nature, while also exploring the intertwining of war with these pursuits. Ultimately, readers are presented with unforgettable passages that showcase Powers’ mastery of storytelling.
As we approached the orchard, a group of birds flew away from the outer rows. It was clear that they had just arrived. The branches swayed without their presence, and the birds flew in circles above in the red-speckled sky, creating a simple signal. Fear gripped me. The scent of metal and cheap wine filled the air. Although the sun was risen, a half-moon rested low on the horizon across from us, resembling a character from a pull-tab book for children.
Kevin Powers
Kevin Powers
Powers uses his eloquent language to challenge commonly embraced narratives about the war. The Yellow Birds goes beyond exploring notions of manhood; it also questions our national perception of the war, the individuals involved, and the broader implications for our society.
In this era, which perceives the service of his generation as being experienced by a “band of brothers,” Powers presents a intricate and conflicting sense of camaraderie among his characters. Bartle admires his sergeant for his competence, but despises him for the power he wields that could lead to Bartle’s own demise. He has affection for Murph, but understands that he will ultimately disappoint him. Both Bartle and Murph feel remorse for the deceased soldiers whom they mistreated selfishly just the day before. Rather than enduring the hardships of combat together as a collective unit, they survive on an individual level and consider each other as brothers.
The lack of heroes in Powers’ book stems from the emphasis on individual survival, which serves as his means of questioning society’s tendency to categorize the small number who assume such roles. Throughout the narrative, Powers repeatedly depicts his characters recognizing the crucial reality of war: that it does not discriminate in its capacity to cause harm, potentially affecting everyone. In this novel, heroism is rendered almost unattainable due to the fact that in war, nobody holds a privileged status and no one is granted immunity.
Powers challenges the sanitized version of the war presented at home. He presents grotesque scenes, such as death, evisceration, and decapitation, casually like an international correspondent reporting from a hotel balcony in Baghdad. The truth of both versions may be equal, but it depends on the audience and what they are willing to hear and believe. This is one of the smart choices Powers makes in his book – he respects his reader enough to tell a story that, although fictional, is closer to the truth than most stories presented as fact.
Powers provides undeniable credibility to the truths he shares by drawing on his firsthand experience. Unlike a general or journalist, he is a soldier who endured the harsh realities of Iraq during one of the most challenging periods of the war. While many soldiers have encountered similar experiences, no one thus far has effectively conveyed the story with the same level of mastery as Powers achieves in The Yellow Birds.
Powers’ riddle remains relentless from start to finish, culminating in a sickening yet fitting conclusion. However, merely familiarizing oneself with the realities of Bartle and Murph’s lives is insufficient for Powers. His narrative does not just convey information but also imparts profound reflections and revelations about war, life, and the ultimate significance of existence. Upon completion, one may even gain an understanding of the peculiar combination of poetry, crudeness, and aggression that inspired the title of his remarkable work.
