6,000 miles away from the explosion in Iraq that took his leg, Josh Carpenter struggles to reclaim his former life as a college student.Mary Fischer, a civilian for the first time in years, strikes out on her own to create a new, independent life away from the army, and her controlling mother.The last time Josh saw Mary, his National Guard unit was leaving Camp Wolf, headed north to the war in … to the war in Iraq.
The last time Mary saw Josh, he was unconscious, covered in blood, and headed for a hospital in Germany.
On the campus of Indiana University, Josh and Mary’s paths move ever closer to a reunion that could help ease the nightmares and heal old wounds… or make them worse.
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Heart-wrenching story which shows the true toll of military combat on veterans as they return to civilian life. All of the characters were well fleshed out and relatable. The story is told from the point of view of two main characters, Mary and Josh and alternates between present time and their time spent on active military duty. Being told in this way is a powerful device as it shows us a full picture of who they were and who they became as a result of serving in combat. This book pulled at my heart strings and I shed many tears while reading. This was a page-turner that was ultimately uplifting, even though at times, the story was devastating. The story gives realistic insight into PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Highly recommend.
While none of us know how we would deal with this kind of trauma, this book attempts to illustrate the difficulties experienced by the veteran. family, friends, and neighbors dealing with the PTSD trauma. Time, patience and never-giving-up as well as mental-health healing are all illustrated. An important story.
very so often, a debut novel surpasses your wildest expectations and leaves you with a book hangover that may never end. Alone in the Light is such a novel. From the first page you are hooked and can’t let go. The impact is immediate as the author helplessly drags you into the raw & emotional depths of the characters with his exceptional writing style. The characters & dialogue are real, believable and natural – unlike the mention from a previous reviewer who has sadly missed the heart & soul of this story by focusing on the authentic language, rather than the central theme of how extreme trauma affects our lives, and the difficult, almost impossible road to recovery.
The author has gone above and beyond in taking us along with the main character (Josh) and his fight to find a functional normal amid the ghosts of his past. We cry, mourn and grieve with him. And we root for his recovery as he endures the everyday struggles of simply existing in a world he can no longer make sense of.
Alone in the Light has left a permanent impression upon my heart & soul. A true & brilliant talent for any writer to achieve. I look forward to many more books from this author! Excellent job!
This was hard for me to read because it was so real. This is also what made me unable to put it down. The author writes with obvious intimate knowledge of his subject matter and it was informative. I learned a lot about uncomfortable subjects from it. This author took me down the rabbit hole with him. A very worthwhile read.
If you are looking for a good read that can transport you into military life and also into the aftermath of being deployed under war time conditions, this is your book. Benjamin does an excellent job of moving between Mary and Josh’s perspectives, and also between the past (military deployment) and present (post deployment). As an author and also a military veteran I applaud his story telling.
Alone in the Light is one of the most powerful and moving books I have ever read. When I finished it, I was left with the profound sense that I had experienced something important in reading it. The author imbues his tale of post deployment life with an authenticity which can only come from experience. As such, the book has a truth about it. A saddening truth which forces deep and searching questions upon the reader.
In a word, this book is pure catharsis – a chance to vicariously experience deep and soul searching emotions with the characters as they struggle through everyday life with the burdens of their past experiences and losses. I highly recommend it.
It’s not every day that I read a story that I simply can’t stop talking about. Benjamin W. Bass’ Alone in the Light is one such story.
As I reader, I was able to enter a world completely foreign to me. My father is a Navy Veteran and served in the National Guard. My best friend is also a Navy Veteran. De facto, I’ve visited the VA hospitals in Perry Point and Baltimore on several occasions and have a vicarious understanding of the hell veterans go through to simply receive decent care in this country.
All that being said, the world and experience of a Veteran suffering from PTSD, is one completely foreign to me. This despite having an uncle who is a Marine Veteran with PTSD. The experience is something he’s never talked about.
Benjamin W. Bass masterfully places the reader right there with Josh and Mary. Josh deals with PTSD directly and we see him hit rock bottom. Mary deals with an incredible amount of loss and the difficulty of adjusting to life after service. In both instances, Mr. Bass places the reader right there in the action and drama of the experience. Through both of their present tense, first-person narratives, I can, vicariously, understand the psychology, the emotion, and the trauma that comes with life after military service.
This story could have very easily been a repetitive cycle of flashbacks and downward spirals. But it’s not. The story builds and develops as the characters are trying desperately to keep their lives together, to hold onto what they’ve lost, and move forward with life. In some instances they are stuck, in others, they plunge forward. Through it all, I felt like I was a part of their experience. I think the choice of first-person narrative and present tense helps with making the reader a present participant of the drama unfolding.
But, don’t say this is just a story about PTSD. It’s so much more than that. It’s a story about Josh and Mary, two very human characters, finding each other and lighting each other’s lives in the midsts of darkness. It’s a story about them losing each other again and suffering through some very dark times. Then, a story about finding each other again and struggling to pick up where they’ve left off. Only, everything has changed.