Highways to a War

by Christopher J. Koch

Book Overview

"A gripping tale . . . A convincing, page-turning evocation of recent history."-- The New York Times Ray Barton travels to war-ravaged Southeast Asia to search for his missing friend Michael Langford, a brilliant, risk-taking combat photographer who was stolen into Khmer Rouge Cambodia on a mysterious mission and disappeared. The search illuminates Langford's heroism, his fierce loyalties, and the personal highways he has traveled to war. Langford's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140247572
• ISBN13: 9780140247572
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.1" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Espionage, God and the Khmer Rouge

Christopher Koch writes about recent history in a way no other writer has done. He frequently is compared to Graham Greene, because they both write about espionage and moral confusion in exotic locales and because they both create unforgettable characters, but Koch approaches novel-writing from a different point of view. Both write beautiful, poetic prose. Koch, who rejects many contemporary literary vogues, nevertheless shows more interest in the structure of the novel than Greene. Greene was a troubled Catholic; Koch is a former Catholic, and either in spite or because of this, has a more clearly developed moral perspective. He uses it to lead his readers into one of the most ghastly moral cul de sacs of the 20th century, the triumph of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. His hero, Mike Langford, his greatest character, even greater than Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously, is a Christlike figure -- literally, as is revealed in the tremendous conclusion to this wonderful book. More fashionable Australian writers, like the former advertising copywriter, Peter Carey, have been more adept at selling their work than Koch, but his books will be the ones that endure. Koch originally conceived Highways as a longer work, which would have included the story of Mike Langford's ancestor. The other half was later published as Out of Ireland. The first 40 or 50 pages of Highways provides a bridge between the two novels, which might be confusing to readers who don't read them as a pair.

a great piece of work

have read the book a few times and still holds my attention to the end . fictional people based about a very recent and lets face it ugly war!!!

A wonderful piece of literature

'Highways to a War' is a wonder and interesting novel to read. It explores many intersting issues and concepts, including love, human suffering and friendships. It initially seems long and it is difficult to get into, but in time the reader gets drawn into the story and you won't want to put it down.

A classic novel: thrilling fiction set around real events

No better way to get a feeling for Vietnam and Cambodia during the war years than through the eyes and emotions of a news photographer. The great grandson of an 19th century adventurer, he is destined to follow human conflict in two of Asia's most beautiful countries. Once there he establishes his credential as the best in the trade, with a bravery and insight which shows the depth of his understanding of the two nations. After falling in love with a native woman he knows he can never leave, but once Saigon and Phnom Penh both fall his paradise is torn apart - and he goes missing. His story is told by a childhood friend who sets out to track him down, and who piece by piece uncovers his life of the previous 15 years.

Realistic

You will feal like and want to be a wartime photographer after reading this book. Koch gives great detail from a different perspective on the war in Cambodia and Vietnam. The sotry is interestingly told by many characters