Wynne’s War Draws Praise from Critics

Wynne’s War, a new novel by UNC Charlotte author Aaron Gwyn, has drawn attention from readers and critics, who are calling it a “beautifully written story of men, war and madness,” a great adventure story and a work of narrative alchemy.

Barnes & Noble named the book one of its “Summer 2014 Discover Great New Writers Selections,” and Scott Simon interviewed Wynn on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday program in mid-May. The New York Times  also has reviewed the book, saying it “echoes adrenalized silver-screen war stories like “Three Kings” and “The Hurt Locker,” as well as the gentler cross-species concerns of “The Horse Whisperer.” ”

Gwyn, an associate professor in the English Department in UNC Charlotte’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, grew up on an Oklahoma cattle ranch. When researching Wynne’s War (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), he conducted extensive interviews with Green Berets, Army Rangers and other veterans.

The book tells the story of Corporal Elijah Russell, a young Army Ranger with superb horsemanship who is assigned to an elite Special Forces unit preparing to stage a secret mission in eastern Afghanistan. His task is to train the Green Berets to ride horses through treacherous mountain terrain. As the story evolves, he is forced to make a choice, with his mission-driven commander on one side and his best friend and deeply held beliefs on the other.

“Wynne’s War is a deep and beautifully written story of men, war, and madness, told by a young American master,” wrote Nic Pizzolatto, author of Galveston: A Novel and creator of HBO’s True Detective. “A page-turner of poetic and savage grace, of our time but transcending it, this novel takes its rightful place among the great American literature of war.”

Reviewer  Bruce Machart wrote in Houston Chronicle that the book is a work of narrative alchemy brimming with horses, soldiers, heroism, villainy, horrific violence and unexpected tenderness.

“Not enough for you?” Machart wrote. “No worries. There’s also romance and the ever-so-deft tickler of fancies – overt literary homage! The real wonder of this novel, though, is that it’s also a page-turning romp.” Machart teaches teaches literature and creative writing at Bridgewater State University in southeastern Massachusetts.

Gwyn also is the author of a story collection, Dog on the Cross, which was a finalist for the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, and another novel, The World Beneath (W.W. Norton). His short stories and creative nonfiction have appeared in Esquire, McSweeney’s, Glimmer Train, The Missouri Review, Gettysburg Review, and New Stories from the South.