Home Front

January 2, 2012
Jolene Zarkades has dedicated her life to two things: her family and her career as a helicopter pilot in the National Guard. Her 12-year marriage to Michael, however, is crumbling. A defense attorney, Michael has thrown himself into his work to cope with the death of his father and his feelings of distance from Jolene. After he misses their daughter's track meet, Michael and Jolene get into a fight that results in him declaring that he doesn't love her anymore. The next day, Jolene finds out that her unit is being deployed to Iraq; Michael is furious that she is leaving him to juggle single parenthood and his practice, and they part on bad terms. Her letters home to their daughters exclude the harsh truths of war, but while she's away, Michael starts to come to terms with how much he has taken for granted. Jolene's tour of duty is cut short when her helicopter goes down, killing a young man, severely injuring Jolene, and leaving her best friend Tami in a coma. When Jolene returns home, she must cope with her own anger, guilt, fear, and frustration. Michael begins to understand her situation as he defends a Marine whose PTSD made him kill his wife. Slowly, Jolene heals, beginning the process of coming to terms with her life. By reversing traditional expectations, Hannah (Night Road) calls attention to the modern female soldier and offers a compassionate, poignant look at the impact of war on family. 400,000 first printing. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

Starred review from May 1, 2012

In the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, listeners will find themselves immersed in a fictional but very real story of the war's cost to National Guard families serving in this elongated conflict. Jolene Zarkades, a 41-year-old Black Hawk helicopter pilot and mother of two young girls, is sent to Iraq with Tammy, her next-door neighbor and best friend. The impact on the two soldiers, their loved ones, and their fellow crew members is captured in a whirlwind of emotions that never preaches but gives faces to the reality of the dangers in the war and afterward. VERDICT The novel's second half, a moving exploration of the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on an already shaky family dynamic, is especially well read by Maggi-Meg Reed, who inhabits all the voices and characters with skill and heartfelt emotion. A timely book that is highly recommended for all audiences. ["Hannah has written a remarkable tale of duty, love, strength, and hope.... Buy multiples for her many fans," read the similarly starred review of the St. Martin's hc, LJ 1/12.--Ed.] --Joyce Kessel, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo

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