The Ice Beneath You: A Novel (Paperback)

The novel sucked me in from page 1 and wouldn't let go. And every time I thought I'd decided what the book was "about," I was wrong.

On the surface, it's about a group of soldiers in Somalia, and about one in particular, Ben Jones. You quickly realize the Somalia stuff is a flashback, though (confusing at first, but once you figured it out the rhythm was good), and that Jones is out of the army now, and suffering emotionally from something that happened over there. His travels put him on a bus to San Francisco, then finally up to Washington State. Both narratives (with the army in Somalia, and as a civilian in America) come together as the book nears its end, both in an absorbing, page-turning way.

I already knew from the radio stuff that Bauman's writing was beautiful. It was inspiring to see he could sustain it for the length of a novel. Looking forward to his next book!

So, speaking purely as a reasonable educated person in world events, I admit my knowledge of the military operations in Somalia is inadequate. In the attempt to learn more about Somalia, and being attracted to the book trailer, I purchased the book.

It just so happened that Desert Storm was at it's climax when I started the book and the events furthur impressed me with the author's story. Here, on one hand you have America's big war in Iraq happening, and in Somalia, the efforts of our young soldiers was just as important, but oh, so overlooked.

Christian Bauman offers a well written, gritty, sarcastically relevant book. He offers that it takes more to just being a soldier... there are facets of their characters that are in constant change. I appreciated his ability to allow this perception in each of his characters to develope, and to develope randomly. It kept the story line fresh, unanticipated and sharp.

The story is about Benjamin Jones and his tour of duty in Somalia with the US Army (gunboat unit). It is a reflection of what happened in Somalia and how it is impacting him now and with the decisions he tries to make. In his story, you will meet his best friend, Trevor, and heart throb, Liz.

As Benjamin tries to assimilate into civilian life, it becomes clear that no one is going to make this easy for him, and for most people they don't even acknowledge what he did for his country. Coming from this mindframe, his experiences make for a rich insight into the modern military heroes of today.