Sniper

The Russo-Chechen conflict of the 1990s is the setting for this grim, powerful novel that reveals the savagery and futility of war. Lilin (Siberian Education) fought in Chechnya as a sniper in the Russian army, giving this graphic story an autobiographical feel in its stark and unvarnished portrayal of men in a vicious war where no quarter is expected and none is given. Told in first-person by an 18-year-old Russian conscript named Nicolai, this is a war story not for the squeamish or faint of heart. Nicolai is assigned as a sniper in an elite, autonomous “saboteur” (special ops) unit unburdened by the niceties of military rules and regulations. For two years, Nicolai serves in Chechnya in this small unit, conducting ambushes and raids in both urban and mountainous settings, learning how to be a calculating killer. A skilled sniper in a war he hates and finds futile, he becomes numb to atrocities, hunger, thirst, fatigue, fear, and civilian suffering. There is no great mystery or complex message here; rather, it’s a simple theme: most soldiers fight and die because they are powerless to do otherwise. Without subtlety, Nicolai also comments critically on the brutality of the Chechen enemy, the perfidy of Russian politicians and generals, and the frontline soldier’s dim view of his survival. This is a bloody, sad tale, especially because the soldiers see no end to the conflict. (May)