In Country

In Country, published in 1985, is Bobbie Ann Mason's debut novel. The story takes place in Hopewell, Kentucky, in 1984, 10 years after the end of US involvement in Vietnam. Mason grew up on a dairy farm outside Mayfield, Kentucky, and is thus well-acquainted with the rural South and its people. The classic coming-of-age story follows protagonist Samantha Hughes (known as Sam) as she seeks to discover the truth about her father and his death in the Vietnam War before her birth. At the same time, she seeks to find her own identity in The Changing Landscape of American Life in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Sam's Uncle Emmett, a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, also plays a pivotal role in the novel as he gradually heals from the trauma that isolates him and reintegrates into society. Many critics and educators name In Country one of the most important books of the 1980s for its minimalist style and relevant subject matter. Few books at the time tackled the effects of the Vietnam War on both veterans and families at home. In 1989, Warner Brothers produced a film adaptation of In Country starring Emily Lloyd as Sam and Bruce Willis as Emmett.

This guide is based on the Harper Perennial edition of In Country, originally published in 1986 and reissued in 1989, 2005, and 2020.

Content Warning: The source text contains incidents of alcohol and substance misuse, references to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and death by suicide, and racist comments by characters.

Plot Summary

The novel opens in 1984 as Sam, Emmett, and Mamaw Hughes, Sam’s paternal grandmother, travel toward the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, DC. In a long flashback that makes up the bulk of the book, Sam reflects on how and why they came to on the road.

Set in Hopewell, Kentucky, where Sam lives with her uncle Emmett Smith, Sam serves not only as the protagonist but also as the third-person narrator. All the events are filtered through Sam's consciousness. Sam has just graduated from high school and is facing a decision about what to do next. While her mother has moved to Lexington with her new husband and baby daughter, Sam has chosen to stay in Hopewell to provide care for Emmett, who has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his time as a soldier in Vietnam.

Sam and Emmett live a routine life that includes watching M*A*S*H on television every night. Sometimes Sam's boyfriend Lonnie joins them. Lonnie has been working as a bag boy at Kroger but has just quit his job and does not seem to know what he will do next. He does not want Sam to move to Lexington because he wants her in Hopewell to start pursuing a more traditional lifestyle with him.

Sam's best friend Dawn discovers that she is pregnant. Sam thinks a lot about what having a baby would mean in her life and, for the first time, considers how important her birth control pills are. Meanwhile, Sam is growing increasingly interested in finding out about her father Dwayne, who was killed in Vietnam a month before she was born.

Meanwhile, Emmet has gone to a Veteran's Administration clinic to have his acne and health checked because Sam is convinced he suffers from Agent Orange exposure. The doctor laughs at him.

On her quest for knowledge about Dwayne and Vietnam, she goes with Emmett to his daily breakfast at McDonalds with other veterans. None of them want to tell her anything about their time in Vietnam. When Sam mentions she wants to buy a car, one of the veterans, Tom Hudson, says that he will sell her a Volkswagen. Sam has a crush on Tom. With Lonnie out of town, Sam goes to a veteran's event and dances with Tom. He takes her home to his apartment where Sam hopes they will have sex, but Tom is impotent.

Emmett disappears after the dance and is missing until Irene, Sam's mother, brings him home. Sam is growing increasingly restless and angry about not being able to find out the information she wants. She visits her Hughes grandparents, and they give her Dwayne's diary. In addition, she has discovered a pile of letters. Reading these troubles Sam deeply. They show not only a lack of the romanticism she hoped would exist between her parents, but also an apathy toward the Vietnamese people he harmed during the war. She feels angry and let down by his callousness and recounts of bad behavior.

As a result, she runs away to Cawood's Pond to spend the night and emulate the experience of the soldiers in Vietnam. The experience is frightening and transformative for her. Emmett comes looking for her, then breaks down and tells her his story. Later, Emmett decides they will all go to Washington, DC to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

When they are there, Sam finds not only her father's name on the wall but also the name of a man coincidentally called “Sam Hughes.” It is an epiphany for her, making her feel connected to both the names in the memorial and all the people of America. Meanwhile, Emmett finds the names of his buddies who were killed in a firefight from which he escaped. He has hoped that one of the men escaped, and his smile at the end of the novel implies that this might be true. However, the ending is ambiguous, although it appears that Sam has managed to transition from child to adult and that Emmett is on the road to healing.