Literature investigating the experience of soldiers in war zones is a well-explored genre. Whether it be the First or Second World War, Korea, or Vietnam, readers have been fully exposed to the effect this kind of violence can have on a person’s physical and mental health. But what of our soldiers involved in modern conflicts, where there are no defined battlefields and civilians are viewed as targets?

In Empty Casing, Fred Doucette describes his life before, during, and after his time as a United Nations Military Observer in Sarajevo during Slobodan Milosevic’s campaign to clear the city of its Bosnian residents. While the West initially ignored the situation, then pursued fruitless peace negotiations, Doucette watched helplessly as men, women, and children died on a daily basis. His anger, a problem he’d struggled with before going overseas, continued to build after his return to Canada, until he was finally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and confronted his demons.

This is very much a personal memoir, and thus not a book you would turn to for background on the war. Doucette also does not pretend to have an unbiased opinion: his language is violent and is intended to shock the reader with its brusqueness. Here he is, for example, on Serbians: “They were not soldiers…. These guys were just fucking animalistic cowards. Every time I met a Serb at a checkpoint, I could not help but think, how many people did you rape? How many did you shoot in the back?”

This is a memoir of a man trying desperately to heal, but while we empathize with his pain, Doucette’s harsh tone is ultimately alienating. Rather than inspiring us to action to prevent further suffering, the book leaves us instead with only the hope that the author will eventually let go of his anger and be at peace with himself and those around him.