In Triage, Scott Anderson shows that the suffering of war transcends place, time, gender and nationality. Triage does suggest that trauma and suffering can not be forgotten, but this does not necessarily imply that they cannot be overcome. The central protagonist, Mark, endures trauma and suffering through his profession as a war photographer. Elena, Mark's girlfriend, is drained by the memories that Mark brings home, despite that fact that he conceals these memories from her.

Colin's death in Kurdistan was a trauma of unparalleled proportions for Mark. As he had with all previous traumatic experiences, Mark "[kept] it separate" so that he "wo[ul]dn't feel a thing." The reader witnesses his decline from this point, being able to gauge is mental decline through his physical decline - it takes progressively more and more steps for him to complete the walk across his living room. Thus, by trying...