The Apathetic, a contemporary, literary novel, tells the story of army specialist Bill Metson, and his two friends, Matt and Andrea. Stationed in Baghdad, Bill and his squad survive countless missions without suffering casualties, until a mortar attack on their base, set up by Bill's Iraqi lover, Leyla, kills the majority of Bill's squad. Bill is sent back out on missions, but is unable to cope with the chaos and carnage of combat until he befriends a medic who teaches Bill about emotional anesthesia. Bill learns how to turn off his emotions to be an effective soldier, but he is unable to turn them back on after he is forced to kill Leyla. Upon returning to Vermont, Matt and Andrea try to help Bill revitalize his dormant emotions, but it isn't until Andrea is attacked by her former lover that Bill's apathy finally thaws.