This is a memoir about the author's relationship with her father, a Vietnam vet, who she adored. This is her attempt to come to terms with the impact that the war had on her father, her family and herself. This is a heartbreaking look at a disfunctional family, in fact at one point the sister complains that they are a "Jerry Springer episode".
The father was told to forget about the war and get on with his life so instead of dealing with the damage it caused he shut down and isolated himself from those he loved. In the process, he ended up losing the wife that he loved, alienating his children, destroying his health and dragging out his pain and grief for years.
Danielle spends years trying to understand his behavior and it's impact on her , eventually traveling to Vietnam to try to piece together the events that her father experienced. At times this was an extremely moving memoir and I got teary eyed at the end. I did have a few problems with this however. There were a few events that were never fully explained. For example, a stalker appears in Vietnam but the mystery is never explained or solved.
No comments:
Post a Comment