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To Fill The Void
When only-child Sam Bingham leaves for Marine boot camp, his parents instantly become empty nesters. John and Trixie at one time had a typical American marriage, but cracks have appeared in the foundation, and Sam may have been the only thing holding the family together. As Sam endures the physical and mental grind at Parris Island, his parents wage their own unspoken battle back home. The Binghams seemingly have just one thing in common — Sam — and as they wait daily for his letters, they grow ever further apart. “This place sucks,” Sam writes in his first letter home. It’s a sentiment both of the older Binghams might silently believe applies to their own lives.
But is the situation bad enough to lead one of Sam’s parents do the unthinkable? And, if so, what potentially deadly series of events might follow? In his third novel, Ken McCarthy delivers the intense, real-life drama his readers have come to expect.
But is the situation bad enough to lead one of Sam’s parents do the unthinkable? And, if so, what potentially deadly series of events might follow? In his third novel, Ken McCarthy delivers the intense, real-life drama his readers have come to expect.
165 pages, Paperback
Published June 18, 2023
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 28, 2023
McCarthy once again does a great job bringing realism to his story. The thread that holds it all together is what I assume is the very real feelings "John" has for his son, "Sam," as he heads off to join the Marines. Mixed in with that heartwarming thread is the messiness of life, including his not-great marriage to "Trixie." People do stupid things and McCarthy does a great job portraying how that happens. Well done!
August 1, 2023
An engaging read about the other half of the empty nest.
I’ve read quite a few books from a mothers perspective of an empty nest, her struggle, fall out from those struggles. This book offered another perspective. When Sam goes to boot camp, his father struggles. The story uses flashbacks to touch on some touching moments over the years, and establish the initial family bonds.
John is an imperfect protagonist (much like real people are imperfect) He struggles with character flaws including alcohol abuse and… well any other details will spoil so I’ll leave it at “flaws”. Despite his shortcomings though, he clearly loves his son and is wrapped up in his sons outcome.
As a veteran, I was struck by a lot of memories of my own boot camp experiences. I wasn’t a Marine but woo- everything from that “get off my bus”, to the yellow foot spots, medical indoc, forced sleeplessness, screaming company commanders, physical agony, and homesickness was spot on. As the mom of a veteran, I can absolutely relate to Johns loss of orientation and fears when his son left.
Anyway, worth the read!
I’ve read quite a few books from a mothers perspective of an empty nest, her struggle, fall out from those struggles. This book offered another perspective. When Sam goes to boot camp, his father struggles. The story uses flashbacks to touch on some touching moments over the years, and establish the initial family bonds.
John is an imperfect protagonist (much like real people are imperfect) He struggles with character flaws including alcohol abuse and… well any other details will spoil so I’ll leave it at “flaws”. Despite his shortcomings though, he clearly loves his son and is wrapped up in his sons outcome.
As a veteran, I was struck by a lot of memories of my own boot camp experiences. I wasn’t a Marine but woo- everything from that “get off my bus”, to the yellow foot spots, medical indoc, forced sleeplessness, screaming company commanders, physical agony, and homesickness was spot on. As the mom of a veteran, I can absolutely relate to Johns loss of orientation and fears when his son left.
Anyway, worth the read!
June 20, 2023
I had the honour of being one of the first to read this new story by author Ken McCarthy. I've always loved first person narration as it allows me to "see" everything as the protagonist sees it, and McCarthy is a master narrator. The MC, John, is suffering empty-nest syndrome when his only son, Sam, joins the marines. Reviews should be honest, so I'm going to be honest. I've never been interested in books with this subject matter, but just like McCarthy's first novel, "One Hand on the Sink", I was hooked from page 1, and I was thrown into the lives of John, his wife, and their son, highly curious as to what would happen to these three. In the end, I learned a lot about Marine life, and was surprised with a mystery component too. This is a "grab your favourite drink and turn off the world" type of read, and I thank the author for inviting me into his world for a few hours.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews