The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer. [Photo/Agencies]

Title: The Naked and the Dead

Author: Norman Mailer

Country: United States

Published: 1948

On Anopopei, a fictional island somewhere in the South Pacific, the American forces are faced with a campaign to isolate the Japanese so that Americans can advance into the Philippines. The novel centers on the experiences of a platoon, who are required to obey all orders from their superiors, though they have no idea what those orders might be or whether they will be alive at the end of their mission.

The Naked and the Dead is divided into four parts: Wave, Argil and Mold, Plant and Phantom and Wake. With play-like dialogue between characters and time-travelling sections that provide brief histories and flashbacks of characters' lives, the central theme reflects on the ludicrousness of war.