O’Connor’s sprightly fiction debut offers a fresh, often funny perspective on World War II through the lens of Jim Tanzer, a thirty-year-old dance instructor making his biggest-ever “pivot turn”: turning soldier, kind of, as part of the U.S. Army's Morale Corps. Serving with Mickey Rooney himself, who steals scenes on the page as handily as on the screen, Tanzer and the corps stage shows like Hip Hooray (formerly Yanks a Poppin) with music, comedy, a wrestling burlesque, and quips like this, from Rooney: “And what does the USO got that we don’t, except beautiful girls!” Soon the Corps is charged with putting on “jeep shows” for combat troops where the action is. Soon, though, Jim is in the action himself, trying to get a stolen German map to the top brass across war-torn Belgium,1944, and the Battle of the Bulge.This refreshing take on military fiction masterfully balances the gravity of war with unexpected moments of fun and camaraderie, touring readers through the European front with a hero who reads Variety and plans to write a parodic play called Spamlet. The storytelling is fleet and crisp, alive with crack comic dialogue (“Nobody does cross-dress like the Army”), as Jim falls in with a ragtag support unit called Team SNAFU. Says a sergeant: “Summa these numbskulls can’t even know how to march. How they gonna fight?” O'Connor's portrayal of the Battle of the Bulge is both historically accurate and deeply personal for Jim.
The transition from performing for troops to becoming combatants themselves creates a compelling narrative arc, connected to an epochal struggle. Still, even among the novel’s many laughs, O’Connor never diminishes the urgency of the mission of the (fictional) Morale Corps, demonstrating how entertainers brought crucial moments of joy to soldiers amid the brutal reality of combat. This warm, convincing portrayal of backstage banter, improvised performances, and the bonds formed between performers adds layers of warmth and humanity.
Takeaway: Hilarious but rousing novel of a dance instructor facing the Battle of the Bulge.
Comparable Titles: Len Deighton’s Goodbye Mickey Mouse, Martin Turnbull’s Hollywood Homefront Trilogy.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+
