I knew this one was fiction going in, but while I was reading it, I kept thinking to myself, ‘wait, is this really a story?’ because it felt so real. Sure enough, my copy has the word ‘fiction’ on the back corner. I do wonder, though, if O’Brien ought to have put in some sort of note to the effect of: ‘Look. This is fiction.’ I have plans on picking up his memoir, If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, to see how it compares.