The Girl in Green is a narrative divided in three parts. It follows American Arwood Hobbes and Brit Thomas Benton though various post-war locations during peacekeeping missions.
When the two meet, it is 1991. The Gulf War has ended and Hobbes is a soldier. Benton tricks Hobbes into letting the reporter go a nearby town within eyesight. Hobbes acquiesces but regrets his decision when the town is bombed by enemy helicopters. Hobbes, feeling responsible for Benton's life, leaves his post to go rescue the British man. Meanwhile, Benton is trying to escape the destruction and save a young girl in a green dress. When Hobbes and Benton meet up they are confronted with a Baathist colonel who is willing to let the foreigners go in exchange for the girl.
American soldiers swoop in and defuse the tense situation. The trio walks away toward the army base and the girl is shot in the back by the colonel and killed. Arwood loses control when one of his superiors dismisses the girl's life and punches the guy. The only reason he was not dishonorably discharged is because of Benton's intervention. The reporter promises to publish a story that does not portray the Americans in the best of light and the army recognizes it does not need more bad publicity.
The section section of the book shows that Hobbes was banished to a refugee camp where, in front of Benton, Märta--a Swedish relief worker, and a full cast of refugees, soldiers, and other relief workers he goes into a minefield to rescue a young boy.
Fast forward twenty-two years. The third part begins with Benton receiving a frantic call from Hobbes. The veteran asks the reporter to search online for a bombing that occurred earlier. Benton is shocked to see that the video shows the girl in the green dress. Even though the reporter knows it cannot be her, he allows himself to be persuaded to travel to the site, investigate what happened, and try to see if she is alive.
The Girl in Green is a fast-paced book that offers honest criticism of war and its aftermath. It not only takes on armed forced including peacekeepers, but also the NGOs that stay behind to help. This behind-the-scenes look is as compelling as the plot and makes the story a more compelling read.
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