Insight

Maren Klement

It made sense in their strange kind of way. It was those moments that Alex could understand people who’d told him to be careful when dating a soldier as they could be peculiar people.

What is it like to welcome home a soldier who has seen and done things he can’t speak of and on top of that is now injured? He is coping not only with post-war life but post-injury life.

Insight is a fiction piece that captures an extremely realistic account of a soldier, Will, adjusting to life back home with this partner, Alex.

I really enjoyed this book. I do not read a lot of military fiction/non-fiction because I do not like it, but I made an exception with Insight. If you are or are not familiar with PTSD and the effects not only on the person but on everyone around them, you have to give Insight a read. I am impressed with how smoothy the story was told and the realism.

Alex is a school teacher, and Will is a solider. He is coming home from a deployment with a blind eye and lung damage. Life is not the same, and Will is struggling not only to cope with his new life but the haunting images that wake him in the night. Alex wants him to open up, but Will is stuck trying to understand his new life.

Insight touches on many topics that we read and hear about every day: war, PTSD, military life, relationships, wounded veterans,  relationships, LGBTQ life. Each is closed with a piece to make you think. The PTSD aspects of the book were perfect. It is what made the book for me.

Overall, Insight ends as soon as it beings. It is a short read that tackles hot topic issues in a matter-of-fact way. Insight is just a peek into Will and Alex’s life, you leave wanting more. Does Will recover? Does he learn to cope? What about Alex? I have a few questions, but am left satisfied with the short time I had with all the characters.

If you are interested in a short realistic fiction piece, check out Insight.

 

Have you read Insight or something similar?  Do you read military fiction or non-fiction?