As usual Joanna Trollope gets to the very crux of the story very fast. Dan is in the Army. He has served a very troublesome six months period in Afghanistan and is now home with his mates. Life should be happy. His wife, he has twin daughters and an older step daughter all look forward to his return but why cant they all settle down.
Alexa is a very loyal dutiful wife. She has battled on alone, never complaining but she now begins to feel that his batch mates and the Army is his top priority and that the family trails behind. Dan himself feels caught up in a triangle of how does one choose priorities. A mate returned with him, his wife leaves him, there are those mates who have been badly injured who have to be rehabilitated, there are many social obligations within the Army itself which have to be included in his life and he himself feels that things are getting away from him and he and his wife are increasingly isolated, without communicating what they actually want from each other.
Alexa wants a fixed home, she wants Isabel her eldest daughter to be happy (she isnt), she wants them to be a family again without the third wheel of all of the Army crowding in. How does one cope. Dan's father, grandfather , Alexa's parents are all anxious, all wanting to help. All know that without an intervention the family is going to split.
The story of relationships and mainly the need for open lines of communication are so manifestly important and it is this that for me was the focal point of this story. Dan is a soldier foremost and now he must try to be a civilian father and husband whilst balancing his career as well. Tough calls.
Another book from Glen Waverley library.
My dad was in the military but never brought his work home so my home life was very different from a lot of military brats. I bet a lot of people can relate to this book.
ReplyDeleteI find it hit and miss with Joanna Trollope but reading your review I think this one would be a hit for me. A very real situation, and I am hoping like anything the communication finally got working in the marriage.
ReplyDeleteI have never read Trollope, but I have always meant to
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this author, but I've heard good things. I need to put her on my list.
ReplyDeleteBeing a military wife can be very tough, especially when a soldier is returning home after an absence in a war-torn area. In any marriage, though, communication is an necessary ingredient. I will have to look for this one. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
ReplyDeleteYou've been reading some good books. This is another one that sounds good.
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