Heather’s Bookshelf: Time Passed
Author: Robert Barlow Jr
Released: 06/28/16
Genre: War and Military Fiction
“He had no answers. He had only fear.”
“Time Passed” introduces 3 men who all served in Vietnams as part of missions involving Huey helicopters. Each of the men suffers terribly when they are shot down- both physically and mentally.
Daniel Gardner, Phillip Russ and Benjamin Simms all survive Vietnam to make it back to the states and the lives they left behind. Forever changed, they are not the same men who left and the world didn’t stop while they were gone either.
All three of the men suffer upon returning stateside with isolation, communication, guilt, and other psychological impairments. An unexpected event brings the three men together, surprising them in an unexplained way that sets them along a different path, once again. But will it be enough to move forward with healing or will they remain stuck in their terrible pasts?
Trigger Warning: violence, rape, sexual assault, war-related injury and violence, torture, murder
Overall, I found this story to be very realistic and gut-wrenching at times. This is not a happy-go-lucky book, but per the content it’s not unexpected. It has some truly brutal and graphic scenes and does not shy away from the worst of humanity. There were two particularly brutal scenes that made me tear up and truly feel for the men on the pages. The book is told in two main portions. The first half is told through third person and introduces the three main characters, their 2010 situations and what happened to them during the Vietnam War. The second half occurs mostly in present time with an event that brings the three vets together in an unexpected way. The event also serves to remove the traumatic pause from many of their lives resulting in changes to and renewal of relationships. There are portions of the book that seemed redundant and repetitive without adding much to the prose. The ending was poignant and emotional, wrapping up the main storylines and leaving a feeling of completeness.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A war-time fictional novel filled with emotion and realistic characters.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Robert Barlow Jr
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Find it for purchase here
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