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reydeam's review against another edition
5.0
“As prepared as she felt to let him go, and as much as she wanted that final release for him, and for herself, she now felt a desperate want for him to hold on.”
Wow. Simply wow. This slim book, all of 173 pages, is packed tightly with beautiful prose full of emotion, depth, reality, strength, love, agony, and trauma. It’s a quick read only because it will not let you go until you’ve heard, witnessed, and felt Mary and Eden’s story.
This slim book held me tightly, and left me feeling like my heart was ripped out. It’s haunting.
This is a powerful story about the cost of war.
Wow. Simply wow. This slim book, all of 173 pages, is packed tightly with beautiful prose full of emotion, depth, reality, strength, love, agony, and trauma. It’s a quick read only because it will not let you go until you’ve heard, witnessed, and felt Mary and Eden’s story.
This slim book held me tightly, and left me feeling like my heart was ripped out. It’s haunting.
This is a powerful story about the cost of war.
intorilex's review against another edition
4.0
Actual Rating 3.5stars
Content Warning: Graphic Descriptions of Torture and a Severely Injured Person
This is a short emotional book that packs a lot of punch. The story is told from a unnamed narrator's perspective who is watching over Eden's family after Eden is injured. Eden lays severely injured and unable to move in the hospital, while his wife Mary refuses to let him pass on. The narrator explains Mary's and Eden's relationship leading up to the present. He suggests that you should know Mary's story before you judge her decisions.
Eden is described as a likeable guy who has been forever changed by war but finds it preferable to family life. The characters lives are interwoven and well developed as unique but flawed personalities. The reality Eden faces after his injury is brutal and the author holds no punches immersing you into that experience. There are descriptions of gore included that have stuck with me.
I paused many times while listening flooded with existential questions. It's a slow burn which leads to twists I didn't expect. This character driven novel used a number of scenes in Mary and Eden's past to explain their relationship. However the plot itself was slow moving. Despite wanting more to happen, I was engaged and invested in these characters. The narrator kept the intrigue going and I was emotionally moved by this tragic story.
Recommended for Readers who
- enjoy character driven novels
- don't mind extensive descriptions of life after a severe injury
- enjoy philosophical musings with a dash of fantasy
jcgrenn_reads's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first read-in-one-sitting five star book I’ve ever read. Ackerman did it. Somehow he has illuminated the gray area between right and wrong and life and death and painted something beautiful in the middle. I’m in awe of these pages.
duckyr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0