Under the shadow of trauma, Liam has been discharged from the army. As night terrors torment him and he struggles to keep his anger intact, he finds himself in his car, his daughter Alannah asleep in the back, while his wife Emma has gone AWOL. With no idea where to go for shelter, his only goal is to hold onto his daughter at all costs. But Alannah is on a journey of her own.
As the consequences of Alannah's choices unfold, nothing will ever be the same again.
Soldier Boy is gripping story about secrets, fear, longing, lies and the power of being true to yourself, even when the price is higher than you could have imagined.
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Standing in the bright light and harsh disinfectant scent of the grimy toilet block, staring at her reflection in the mirror. CHAPTER 1, DECEMBER NOW
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(@Legend_Press, 1 October 2020, 294 pages, ebook, copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 17 October, #Legend100)
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I'm a big fan of the author having read most of her books so I had high expectations for Soldier Boy. I don't think I've read a book about someone with PTSD before which Liam clearly has so this was new territory for me. The book moves from the present back into the past highlighting key moments from Liam's life and his marriage to Emma. The author uses an unusual structure that took a few chapters to get used to; the last sentence of each chapter becomes part of the first sentence of the next chapter. This is an in credibly sad, moving book. Liam's PTSD is getting out of control and manifesting as unexpected explosions of anger. Emma has grown bone tired and weary of trying to hold the family together and decides to take a break for two weeks, setting in motion a chain of events that will change them forever. Then there's Alannah who's going through some trauma of her own. I loved everything about this book.
