Review of Etna by Paul Yoon

Yoon's short book is set in and after a war and is told from the cool, observant perspective of a dog. The spare, restrained writing allows for powerful revelations about friendship, vulnerability, trauma, and the pull toward home in this unforgettable story.

...I wondered if there might come a time when I would lose the memory of that day--the clarity and the stillness of it--and how I would feel about that. How I would feel if one day I stopped carrying certain things in my head, so many of the things I kept returning to in my head…and whether this meant I had managed to go far enough away, into a time when all of this was old. Which would also mean a time when I was old, older.

Etna is told from the point of view of a dog plucked from a farm, who is trained to assist troops, serves in the military alerting soldiers to mines and attacking when instructed, then is abandoned following the protracted war in the imagined, unnamed "any" nation, one that is frequently in conflict.

When the war ends, Etna, scarred physically and emotionally from war, becomes determined to return home to the farm where he first lived. He feels compelled to find once again the smells, sights, and sounds of his youth, even if everyone he once knew there has likely perished.

The dog journeys across a broken nation, in which the humans and creatures who have survived the fighting try to scrabble out an existence amid the post-war rubble and lawlessness. Etna is wary of caring about others and struggles to find something to believe in, but does find ballast in connections despite the trials and pain he has experienced.

The dog can communicate telepathically with certain humans and many animals, often gleaning tragic understanding of their troubles and their challenges. This is presented in a matter-of-fact way, and communication between different animals is sometimes funny.

Etna is beautiful. It's heartbreaking, spare, poignant, and offers depth I wasn't counting on because of the book's short length (it's just 208 pages). Yoon offers a powerful yet restrained look at the costs of war, the enduring power of friendship, the yearning for home, and the unexpected paths life takes when you are open to caring for others despite past pain. I loved this.

More Books to Check Out

Paul Yoon is also the author of Run Me to Earth, Snow Hunters, and multiple short story collections.

If you're in the market for more short reads, please take a look at the titles on this Greedy Reading List: Six Short Books that Pack a Punch.