Prayer at Rumayla opens with Chet Brown's departure from the Gulf War in the Spring of 1991. He served his country through the U.S. Army, managing to make it out of Iraq in one piece. Now, he is coming home to his fiance and life after combat.
The homecoming proves bittersweet. Chet receives devastating news with which he is unable to deal. Physically he left the war in Iraq, but the battle rages on in his mind.
Charles Sheehan-Miles's first novel chronicles several weeks in the life of Chet Brown. The twenty year-old private is following in the footsteps of a father he never knew. The senior Brown was killed while serving in the Vietnam War. Chet's mother is alive and well, though she's equally a stranger in the eyes of her son.
Prayer at Rumayla is a novel of battles, most of them Chet's. However, the lead character isn't clearly described. There is a sense of anger and frustration on his part, but not a defined emotional picture that justifies his actions. This makes it hard to feel 100% sympathy for Chet or accept his point of view.
Sheehan-Miles approaches this story from several angles, never full exploring any of them. Chet struggles with post-traumatic stress issues, the deception of his fiance and best friend, resentment toward the father he never knew, disappointment in himself, his country and more. Each of these subjects could anchor its own story. Together, they give the reader a lot to digest in a short amount of pages.
The story alternates between Chet's experiences in the U.S. and Iraq. Extensive use of fragmented sentences interrupts the flow of the story, but well-placed battle scenes maintain the fast pace.
The author relies on extensive use of military terminology. This adds validity to the story, yet leaves the novice reader lost in the government world of acronyms and numbers. The frightful experience of battle translates well, however. Readers will have no problem understanding the horrors of war.
Sheehan-Miles has the ability to turn raw emotion into a riveting story. Though it's hard to generate sympathy for Chet, his experiences are brutally honest and heartwrenching. Expansion on his personal confrontations would have really enhanced the story and clearly stated the author's intent. As is stands, Prayer at Rumayla is a decent story with an unforgettable ending. There isn't much Gulf War-related fiction out there. This work by Charles Sheehan-Miles is a worthy contribution.
