A review by chriskoppenhaver
Refresh, Refresh by Danica Novgorodoff, James Ponsoldt, Benjamin Percy

4.0

War is destructive and leaves ruins in its wake. This is a story of war making ruins of the lives of the families that soldiers have left behind as those families struggle to deal with the emptiness--both practical (empty bank accounts) and emotional (the constant, gnawing anxiety)--of their absences. It focuses specifically on three teen boys in a small town in rural Oregon who do their best to cope and fill the voids, but find themselves making bad decisions as often as not. Boys will be boys is problematic enough, but boys trying to be men before they are ready is potentially disastrous. Yet I couldn't help but feel for them--and with them--even as I cringed. Effective, poignant storytelling.