by David Treuer
First published 2015
Bombardier Frankie Washburn prepares to leave for World War II when violence erupts. An escaped German soldier triggers events that destroy Frankie's planned departure. The attack sets off a chain reaction that will shape lives for years to come. Frankie must navigate the aftermath of this brutal encounter while the war rages on. The consequences ripple through his community, affecting relationships and futures in ways no one could predict. What begins as one man's journey to war becomes a story about how a single violent act can alter the course of multiple lives. Treuer explores how trauma echoes across time, examining the weight of memory and the struggle to move forward when the past refuses to stay buried.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: consequences, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Germany
Period: World War II
402 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Press
Content warnings: violence, war