Charlie Johnson in the Flames

Charlie Johnson in the Flames - Michael Ignatieff

From Amazon: "This short, intense novel tells the story of Charlie Johnson, a war correspondent working in the Balkans during the recent conflict there. Charlie, hardened to the realities of war but not yet insensitive to the human beings experiencing daily trauma, is accompanied by his cameraman and best friend, Jacek, a melancholy, reliable Pole. The story focuses on a single event and its aftermath. While hiding in a contested village, Charlie sees a peasant woman set alight and tries to put the fire out with his bare hands. After his recovery, he grows obsessed with his memory of the woman, who was rescued by helicopter but eventually died. He returns to the Balkan danger zones to hunt down the high-ranked soldier who murdered her, not to kill him but to simply ask, "Why?""

I don't like Ignatieff as a politician (can he still be called that?) but as an author he is marginally better. This book wasn't super interesting, but it was something to read. I don't know if I'd really recommend it to anyone though.