'The Girl in Green' tells a dark, funny, poetic tale of the US in Iraq
Early in The Girl in Green, Derek B. Miller鈥檚 tale of an American soldier and British journalist鈥檚 encounter in 1991 Iraq, the US Air Force airdrops pallets of frozen chickens onto Iraqis, killing some and causing infighting among others, creating mayhem instead of relief. The characters are fictional, but the airdrop was real.
It鈥檚 among the most disturbing and absurd scenes in Miller鈥檚 novel, serving as a metaphor for the American military鈥檚 approach to Operation Desert Storm 鈥� 鈥渇aster, cheaper, and more dramatic,鈥� as a Swedish United Nations officer named M盲rta notes. It also showcases the talent for gallows humor that Miller brings to this story of the West鈥檚 bungled interventions in the Middle East and their devastating aftermath. 聽
An expert storyteller, Miller holds a doctorate in international relations and has a background working on peace and security for the UN and diplomatic missions. It shows. His novel is an action-packed thriller, yet interwoven with deep knowledge of the Iraqis鈥� land and culture and American military history there.
Though Miller takes a satirical approach to the Army鈥檚 hierarchies and bureaucracies, he also celebrates the unsung heroes of the International Red Cross and other humanitarian relief organizations. It鈥檚 impossible not to think of 鈥淐atch-22,鈥� with its hapless antihero Capt. John Yossarian, whom Miller clearly had in mind when creating Pvt. Arwood Hobbes, whose name alludes ironically to political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, an advocate of government that gives power to the few to protect the many. 聽
Arwood is brash, uneducated, defiant in the face of authority, attracted to guns, and prone to quote Dr. Seuss (鈥渁 person鈥檚 a person, no matter how small鈥�) in contrast to the hackneyed political jargon he鈥檚 confronted with. (Miller depicts it literally as a block of words randomly strung together like 鈥淣ew World Order鈥� and 鈥淏alance of Power.鈥�) After an 鈥渙ther than honorable鈥� discharge leads to Arwood鈥檚 failed application for psychological treatment, he reflects: 鈥淚t was kind of interesting speaking with the Department of Veterans Affairs, because Arwood learned that the U.S. government considers eligibility for psychological counseling to be a reward for not really needing it. By excluding veterans with less-than-honorable discharges, they were excluding those who had acted the worst in a war 鈥� probably for psychological reasons 鈥� and, rather than assisting, set them loose instead on the general population, resulting in pretty predictable violence, wife-beating, alcoholism, criminality, family disintegration, long-term unemployment, welfare, emergency medical costs, unpaid medical bills, loan defaults, drug use, federal and state drug-enforcement costs, state legal fees for prosecuting criminals, prison costs, and appeal processes, not to mention all the traumatized children....鈥�
It鈥檚 no accident that these musings appear in Chapter 22 or that the action leaps forward 22 years when Arwood returns to Iraq to right old wrongs, dragging with him emotionally numb journalist Thomas Benton. These two are the novel鈥檚 head and heart, though the point of view moves through a cast of supporting characters, including Thomas鈥檚 paleontologist daughter, Swedish UN officer M盲rta, a French NATO observer known as 鈥淭igger,鈥� an Iraqi motorcycle medic, a Russian helicopter pilot, and eventually, briefly, the titular 鈥済irl in green鈥� (more on her later). This coalition works together, but also debates politics, ethics, and strategy heatedly, giving readers insight into the political obstacles and moral dilemmas faced by humanitarian workers on the ground. Occasionally the speeches are a bit didactic, but they鈥檙e mostly effective in eschewing platitudes or easy answers.
One caveat: In his desire to celebrate humanitarian work, or perhaps simply looking for a satisfying ending, Miller ties things up a bit too neatly with a team of mostly white male heroes (along with an obligatory woman and African-American man). Miller is clearly aware of the problems wrought by the Western savior narrative, so it鈥檚 surprising he takes us down that road. (Perhaps we could also declare a moratorium on popular fiction titles that include the phrase 鈥渢he girl鈥� 鈥� 鈥淭he Girl on the Train,鈥� 鈥淭he Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,鈥� 鈥淕one Girl鈥� 鈥� since that usually means 鈥済irl鈥� equals cipher.)
Regardless, 鈥淭he Girl in Green鈥� is a compelling story that delivers a more complex narrative when it comes to understanding the violence in the Middle East, a narrative willing to consider the ruinous effects of the aftermath of colonization and other forms of economic exploitation. With the escalation of brutal conflicts between the Islamic State group and the Russian-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad and the masses of Syrians they鈥檝e displaced, this message is timely indeed.
Elizabeth Toohey is an assistant professor of English at Queensborough Community College, CUNY, and a regular contributor to 海角大神.
