In The Shadow Of War
Patrick M. Garry
Paperback: 324 pages
Publisher: Inkwater Press (September 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592992331
ISBN-13: 978-1592992331
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
Glen Kinsella has just finished opening all his high school graduation cards proclaiming him to be on the doorstep of an exciting life. But as the summer of 1970 begins, Glen is living with his deluded grandfather and an array of desperate residents in a Midwestern prairie town that has withered to near-extinction - a town populated primarily by the sagging shells of long-abandoned houses. Hope is not one of Glen's traits. In high school, he was known as the retard's brother. He never had a date, nor even tried to be on speaking terms with someone as sophisticated as Suzanne. But as his grandfather always said, anything is possible in Corcoran. And in the summer of 1970, that prediction appears to be finally coming true. After decades of planning the revival of his beloved town, Glen's grandfather convinces a group of women whose husbands have been sent to Vietnam to live in Corcoran. Soon they begin renovating an old ballroom, where Suzanne will perform for the grand opening. But all this new life is threatened when a disgraced war vet arrives, harboring a secret about one of the husbands that will thrust the town into the center of political controversy.
My Thoughts
Against the zigzag of youth and the backdrop of the Viet Nam War, Patrick M. Garry re-creates life in small-town America (Corcoran, Minnesota ), where if you blink, you miss it.
In this fictional tale, you'll see how narrator Glen Kinsella's life parallels his Grandfather O’Shea's, and see how themes of peace and population control are intermingled with tongue twisters, ballroom dances, and bonfires along the lake.
This is a beautifully written love story, and in it, you will find vivid characters who point out that the innocence of youth transcends to the self-awareness of adulthood where you realize you're not perfect and not all wars can be won.
This book was provided by the generosity of the author for an honest review.
Patrick M. Garry
Website: http://patrickgarry.com