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crystalmarie's review
4.0
Full Disclosure: The author is my uncle; however, he did not provide a free copy of this book to me. So this review comes after I purchased his book.
First, this book was not at all what I was expecting. It takes place over the course of a few years and shortly after the main character, Jackson, gets dishonorably discharged following his stint in the Vietnam War, which left him with three recurring nightmares. The book follows Jackson’s exploits, which initially are basically doing “smack” and failure after failure, until his wealthy and miserable aunt from New England contacts him and enigmatically seeks his help. Her precious daughter Cheryl has been kidnapped. Because uppity aunt not only wants her daughter back but also wants revenge, she can’t go the authorities. Hence, Jackson, the disgruntled veteran, who is retained to rescue his cousin and dispose of the kidnappers. But [SPOILER] his cousin Cheryl wasn’t exactly kidnapped and she certainly isn’t interested in returning to her mom, who [ANOTHER SPOILER] isn’t really her mom. Instead, she just wants her mom’s money to fund her radical causes and progressive antics, which gets her into even greater trouble, causing [MAJOR SPOILER] the rich aunt to again call on Jackson to save Cheryl. This time, Jackson’s efforts will severely impact his own future. [MAJOR SPOILER] Jackson and Cheryl reunite and begin an adventure that takes them back to the aunt’s home in Vermont, then through D.C., and all the way to Mexico, where they hide out. The conclusion is satisfying but also left me with a question [SPOILER—how could she have HIS eyes???].
Overall, this book was really well written (although perhaps the subject and time period were not my cup of tea). The chapters moved along nicely, and there was humor spread throughout (For example, one chapter ends with Jackson’s internal dialogue: “Life had seemed a lot easier when he was hooked on smack.”). I am too young to have lived through this time in our history, but White’s portrayal seems accurate. And Jackson’s internal struggles (of which there were many) are made relatable by White. This book was tremendously better than the Kindle First books that I have read. 4 Stars.
First, this book was not at all what I was expecting. It takes place over the course of a few years and shortly after the main character, Jackson, gets dishonorably discharged following his stint in the Vietnam War, which left him with three recurring nightmares. The book follows Jackson’s exploits, which initially are basically doing “smack” and failure after failure, until his wealthy and miserable aunt from New England contacts him and enigmatically seeks his help. Her precious daughter Cheryl has been kidnapped. Because uppity aunt not only wants her daughter back but also wants revenge, she can’t go the authorities. Hence, Jackson, the disgruntled veteran, who is retained to rescue his cousin and dispose of the kidnappers. But [SPOILER] his cousin Cheryl wasn’t exactly kidnapped and she certainly isn’t interested in returning to her mom, who [ANOTHER SPOILER] isn’t really her mom. Instead, she just wants her mom’s money to fund her radical causes and progressive antics, which gets her into even greater trouble, causing [MAJOR SPOILER] the rich aunt to again call on Jackson to save Cheryl. This time, Jackson’s efforts will severely impact his own future. [MAJOR SPOILER] Jackson and Cheryl reunite and begin an adventure that takes them back to the aunt’s home in Vermont, then through D.C., and all the way to Mexico, where they hide out. The conclusion is satisfying but also left me with a question [SPOILER—how could she have HIS eyes???].
Overall, this book was really well written (although perhaps the subject and time period were not my cup of tea). The chapters moved along nicely, and there was humor spread throughout (For example, one chapter ends with Jackson’s internal dialogue: “Life had seemed a lot easier when he was hooked on smack.”). I am too young to have lived through this time in our history, but White’s portrayal seems accurate. And Jackson’s internal struggles (of which there were many) are made relatable by White. This book was tremendously better than the Kindle First books that I have read. 4 Stars.
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