Walk in the Sun

With A Walk in the Sun, Harry Brown tells an understated yet gripping and realistic tale of the randomness and impersonal nature of combat. In the Allied landings at Salerno on the Italian peninsula during World War II, a fictional platoon loses its lieutenant and senior sergeant to enemy fire, regroups inland to decide what to do, and soon loses its next-senior NCO to battle fatigue. This short but intense novel follows the remaining members of the platoon as they attempt to ascertain their mission and carry it out based on the only guide they have, a map found on the lieutenantâs body. The day unfolds from thereâas simple as a walk in the sun, as simple, really, as war sometimes is. Some make it, some donât, and those who donât arenât always dead. Brownâs spare narration echoes the gritty realities his characters face and provides an unflinching portrayal of the uncertainty of war.