The Odd Angry Shot (novel)

The Odd Angry Shot (1975) is a novel by Australian author William Nagle.

Synopsis
The novel is based on the author's own experience in 3 Squadron SAS Australian Army, and portrays the boredom, mateship, humour, and fear of a group of Australian soldiers deployed to South Vietnam in the late 1960s.

The novel opens with the Australian soldiers embarking for Vietnam. The soldiers arive at Nui Dat in the wet season. In the ensuing months, the protagonist “faces fearful villagers, hunts an elusive, ubiquitous enemy. He goes on patrol, sweating with fear; endures leeches, officious paper-pushers, a thieving orang-utan. He sees friends maimed and mashed; retaliates with casual brutality to locals; finds solace in bar girls and in practical jokes with a pet snake.” The novel climaxes with the Tet Offensive.

Upon return home, the now deeply cynical soliders are met with hostility by the Australian public who resent their participation in the war.

Publishing history
After the original publication of the novel by Angus and Robertson in 1975, it was then reprinted by Angus and Robertson in 1979, and then published by Text Publishing as part of their Text Classics range in 2013.

Film adaptation
The novel was adapted into a movie of the same name which was released in 1979. It was written and directed by Tom Jeffrey and featured Graham Kennedy as Harry, John Hargreaves as Bung, John Jarrett as Bill, Bryan Brown as Rogers, and Graeme Blundell as Dawson.