Shopping Cart Soldiers - A Novel

Zusatztext Larry Heinemann author of Paco's Story As dreamy and eerie! singular and compelling a novel as you will ever read. A prime piece of storytelling. Informationen zum Autor John Mulligan was born in Kirkintilloch, Scotland, in 1950, into a home with ten children. After his family emigrated to the U.S., Mulligan enlisted in the Air Force. Within weeks of turning 18 and while still a British citizen, he was on his way to combat in Vietnam. On his return to San Francisco after his tour of duty, he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was homeless for more than ten years. During his recovery from alcoholism, Mulligan attended a veteran's workshop run by the celebrated author Maxine Hong Kingston, who recognized his extraordinary talent and helped him edit the manuscript of Shopping Cart Soldiers. Klappentext This stunning, internationally acclaimed first novel of the Vietnam War and its shattering aftermath recounts the private horrors of a Scottish immigrant who is drafted into the army shortly after his family arrives in the United States. CHAPTER ONE: WHILE IN HIS WANDERING WALKABOUT It is dark and a light drizzle falls on Paranoid Park, a small park stuck in the middle of North Beach. The name lingers on long after San Francisco's hippies took their last bad acid trip. Nowadays the park is living room and bedroom to many of the city's homeless. At the edge of the grass, next to the bench where he sleeps, a Shopping Cart Soldier dances wildly as if his feet were on fire. His name is Finn MacDonald. He is an Albanach, a sick Albanach, withdrawing from alcohol against his will. He grabs and pulls at his clothing, and beats himself violently about the face and head until blood trickles from his nose. He crouches behind his shopping cart hiding from demons he can see but cannot touch. He's familiar with the demons, knows them by name. They've visited him often over the last twenty-five years or so, ever since he left the war behind. "Get away from me!" he screams. "Fuck off, ya bastards." The fear in his voice makes me want to scream myself. I try to console him, but I just make him worse. After all, he still can't see me. I wonder if he ever will. All I can do is watch him suffer. When I'm about to despair, Arkansas, an old pal of his, now dead, comes running towards him. Arkansas's been sheltering in the nearby bushes, but when he hears Finn's cries he leaves his blanket beside his own shopping cart and runs to help his friend. Arkansas knows what's happening; he's seen it so many times before. He pins Finn's arms behind his back; he doesn't want his friend to hurt himself again. "Is it the voices, Finn?" he asks. "Are the voices at it again?" "Aye," says Finn. "It's that bastard Madman. I don't know what he wants wi' me. Do this, do that -- he's drivin' me outa my goddamn mind!" Arkansas knows all about me too. Madman, that is! "Here, have a swig at this," says Arkansas, offering Finn a half-empty bottle of vodka. "Arkansas!" says Finn, "You're a darlin'! I didn't know yae were in there," he says, referring to the bushes. Arkansas chuckles. "I'm always in there, you know that!" Finn takes a long pull at the vodka bottle then sits down on the bench. "I was nearly sleepin' myself," he says. "Then it started! That nigglin' voice tellin' me I'm killin' myself, tellin' me to get it together. Screw it, Arkansas, gimme another drink I'll drown that bastard yet!" That's about as much credit as he ever gives me. All he seems to think about is how to drown me with his stinking booze. It breaks my heart, because I do everything I can to keep him alive. He should've been dead a million times, but I always manage to keep him holding on another day, just one more day. Because I do love him so. Arkansas isn't the only one to hear Finn's cries of withdrawal. The police hear him too. They show up a few minutes later...

Product details

• Authors: John Mulligan, MULLIGAN JOHN
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.1999
• EAN: 9780684856056
• ISBN: 978-0-684-85605-6
• No. of pages: 256
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature