Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Gritty and Afraid
This is no Disney movie, and there's no guarantee that everything is going to turn out okay. Myers drives this point home by killing off a man readers have gotten to know on Perry's very first mission. Every time the soldiers go on a mission, readers, like the characters themselves, know that someone could die at any moment.
It's not exactly a nice, calm read before bed.
But the story isn't all missions. Sometimes the guys are just hanging out in their hooch, messing with each other. That makes them feel human, which is a nice break, but also gives wartime passages like this even more power:
"The smell of it was terrible. Terrible and scary. Just the idea of being hit by a white phosphorous barrage sent a chill through me." (8.61)
Myers describes the war in vivid detail, from the thoughts of his main character to the smell. He makes the war personal, so the growing depression and confusion of the main character stays front and center.
We're just saying—you may need some chocolate and a bubble bath after this.