Home Front: A Novel

Before she became Jolene Zarkades, she was Jolene Larsen, a child of alcoholic parents and all-too familiar with domestic violence. At seventeen, she described families like hers as "battlefields, bloody and dark, littered with shrapnel and body parts." When her parents died in a car accident that year, she grabbed onto a life that would give her a sense of family, strength, and purpose. She became a helicopter pilot in the Air National Guard. For years, that life was only a part-time one, with occasional flights and drill weekends. Her husband Michael, a successful attorney in Seattle, had been the love of her life. But lately their lives seemed to be moving on alternate pathways. Between daily routines and the children--preteen Betsy and four-year-old Lulu--there wasn't much time or energy for the relationship. Their marriage seemed to be splintering, a piece at a time. Everything changes when Jolene is deployed to Iraq. She and best-friend Tami Flynn, who lives next door, are off together to put their training to use. Left behind, Michael struggles; he is angry at Jolene's choice to be in the military, yet feeling guilty about his feelings. He'd never really believed she would go to war. As a workaholic, he has submerged himself in work; now he is forced to manage on his own, and can't believe how difficult this single parenting has turned out to be. In an alternating narrative voice, we come to see how Michael and Jolene separately suffer and cope with how their lives have turned out. But just as Michael is finally getting the hang of parenting, a phone call turns his world upside down. What happens next to change everything for the two of them? How will Jolene's fate affect Betsy and Lulu, and how will she finally come to terms with who she is now? Home Front is a story about love, loss, heroism, honor, and hope. It's about coping, rediscovering who you are, and rebuilding the fragile bonds that have broken. The characters felt like real people, with vulnerabilities exacerbated by the horrific experiences they have faced. I felt compassion for Jolene and Tami, trained in the military life, relying on stoicism to see them through, while burying their feelings of fear and vulnerability. My heart went out especially to Jolene, who went from an embattled childhood to a war zone. These experiences rendered her especially susceptible to PTSD. Recovery would require something she has no experience with: the ability to ask for help and to allow those around her to give it. I also finally came to feel some empathy for Michael, who, in his own way, is also unable to reach out for help. A beautifully wrought tale that brought me to tears throughout, I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to delve into the emotional issues of families struggling with war, at home and in the field. Five stars.

There is a reason I am stingy with 5-star ratings and this book is a prime example of that reason. Every now and then you read a book that is just so far above the rest of the pack that you know you will not soon forget it. For me, this is one of those books. The last one I read that touched me to this degree was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, which also deserves 5 stars. This is one of the most compelling books I have read in a long time. Periodically I had to put it down and walk away, regain my perspective and return to my own world, but I was never able to walk away for long. This book centers on the Zarkades family, Michael, Jolene, Betsy and Lulu. It is a book about family, friendship, war, loss, grief, courage, hope and most of all, love. The characters are complete with all the human flaws and frailties that are sometimes lacking in fiction. Jolene, a National Guard helicopter pilot, committed and courageous, willing to die for her country even while being scared that she might do just that. Yet she is also controlling, presumably as a result of her childhood where she learned that she could depend on no one else. Michael, a defense attorney, restless and trying to find a way to cope with the recent death of his father. Betsy, 12 years old and dealing with the typical pre-teen issues of peer pressure and wanting to grow up before she's ready and whose favorite word is "whatever". And Lulu, 5 years old and ... well, 5 years old, need I say more? These are the most real characters I have come across in a work of fiction recently. There is nothing flat or unbelievable about any of these people. They are good people, nice people; we like them and care about them, even when they aren't being very likeable. Things haven't been quite right between Jolene and Michael, but Jolene is sure it's just a blip and that this too shall pass. Until the night that Michael informs her he "doesn't love (her) anymore". Jolene is devastated but certain they can work through this, until the next day when she receives the news: her National Guard unit is being deployed to Iraq. Jolene's departure is tragic for all. For Betsy it is the embarrassment of having a mother in the military, the lack of a mother to guide her through those pre-teen traumas. For Michael it is that in his mind she "chose" the military over him, especially now when he is undergoing his own "mid-life crisis". And for little Lulu it is missing mommy to kiss her boo-boos, read her a story at bedtime and hold her when she's scared. One sub-plot is that Michael is currently representing a veteran of the Iraq war who is accused of killing his wife. He is suffering PTSD, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and Michael's defense is made more difficult by the fact that the young man doesn't seem to remember what happened the day his wife was killed. The research into this issue is obviously extensive and sheds light on that which most of us have only heard of in a vague sense. I don't do spoilers, so I leave it at this. This is Kristin Hannah at an all-time best, this is the book that needed to be written, and that I suspect was simmering in her thoughts for a long time. This book conveys the reality of a soldier going to war and returning someone different. I have read very little by Ms. Hannah before, but I am certain this is her best work to date and will be a tough act to follow. It is very emotionally intense, and one that I guarantee you will be glad you read and you won't soon forget.

This book got me from the first page. The characters were so real and I went from page to page living life with them. Every word held truth in it and I loved it!

Everyone should read this book ...how many sacrifices for us...so realistic...really hurts to read but beautiful...

Good writer

Great book

I liked everything about this book ..the author’s deep understanding of human character and the challenges women face when they try to live their dreams and choose careers dominated by men. All Kristin’s books have inspired me so much and helped understand how privileged we are right now and relate with the tragedies many people faced in the past in wars etc and many continue to face in the recent wars in Russia ,Ukraine,Israel,Palestine..seems that the modern world has not really been as progressive and humane as we would have wished it to be