THE BARRACKS THIEF by Tobias Wolff...

THE BARRACKS THIEF by Tobias Wolff (Ecco Press: $8.95; 101 pp.). In his first novel, the author of “This Boy’s Life” explores the interpersonal dynamics of a dysfunctional family and a U.S. Army unit. In a series of subtle parallels, Wolff suggests that each group relies on arbitrarily assigned roles and shared assumptions: If anyone violates that social contract, the system collapses. In lean, spare prose, he depicts a recruit who allows injustice to occur within both groups, rather than risk taking action.