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When They Came Home
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 16, 2026
Wow, this was such an interesting, and thought provoking Historical Fiction book. It centers around WWI, and what the soldiers went through after they returned home from the war. And not only them, but also their families. These soldiers dealt with so much trauma and when they returned with PTSD, the wives or mothers were the ones that had to hold the family together. But it was rare to hear their side of the story. In this book we read about Milton, who returns home to Kansas after the war. He meets his wife Edith and they have a family. But what Edith did not expect, was to go through with Milton, was his trauma coming to the surface. What she dealt with, and helped him through was brave, and she was one strong woman. This book is a short but powerful read, and I'm happy I read it. I can't imagine having to be that strong during such a difficult situation.
Thank you to the publisher, netgalley, author, and Suzy approved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher, netgalley, author, and Suzy approved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
October 3, 2026
I didn’t realize until I finished the book, that the story was about the author’s grandparents. It is a story of the damage done to a soldier during WWI. Very compassionate novel.
September 10, 2026
I devoured this novel in one day, simply couldn't put it down. It is a compelling story, raw with emotion and yet also reflecting Midwestern stoicism, making the writing almost poetic. Yes, it tells the story of "shell shock," but also of the steadfastness of family, and the complexity of love. I'm delighted to have discovered it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I will say that When They Came Home has so many important details for being such a short book. The author Terri Lewis based this story off of the life of her grandparents. It starts off around the end of the first world war and goes on through to the 1950's. I will say I was quite moved by this quick story as there are so many important elements to the story.
August 13, 2026
A powerful yet personal story of a family dealing with the aftermath of WWI -- particularly with the father of the family who is plagued with flashbacks and trauma of his horrific experience in the trenches. Edith is the matriarch of the family and the glue that holds their lives together. Her loyalty and compassion for her husband is steadfast and heartbreaking. Though this is a short book -- a novella -- it makes a compelling story of a family struggling to hold themselves together in a world that doesn't yet understand the terrible, long lasting price of war. Very touching and beautiful.
June 29, 2026
"When They Came Home" is a powerful work of historical fiction that explores the devastating impact of World War I beyond the battlefield. Rather than focusing solely on combat, the novel looks at what happened after soldiers returned home—particularly the emotional and psychological toll of shell shock, known today as PTSD.
What makes this book especially compelling is its focus on the family left to navigate the aftermath. The story portrays how trauma reshapes relationships, routines, and expectations. The author handles the subject of shell shock with sensitivity and depth, showing both the visible and invisible wounds carried by returning soldiers.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its portrayal of the wife and mother at the center of the family. She emerges as a remarkable figure of resilience, determination, and quiet strength. As the family struggles financially and emotionally, she becomes the force holding everyone together. Through the mother’s determination and advocacy, "When They Came Home" underscores how women often carried enormous burdens while receiving little recognition.
The prose is beautifully crafted—lyrical yet grounded, emotional without becoming sentimental. The writing brings both the era and its hardships vividly to life, making the characters feel deeply real and relatable.
Overall, "When They Came Home" is a moving and thought-provoking novel that sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of war. It is a poignant exploration of trauma, resilience, and the strength of family, made even richer by its compelling examination of women’s roles in history.
What makes this book especially compelling is its focus on the family left to navigate the aftermath. The story portrays how trauma reshapes relationships, routines, and expectations. The author handles the subject of shell shock with sensitivity and depth, showing both the visible and invisible wounds carried by returning soldiers.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its portrayal of the wife and mother at the center of the family. She emerges as a remarkable figure of resilience, determination, and quiet strength. As the family struggles financially and emotionally, she becomes the force holding everyone together. Through the mother’s determination and advocacy, "When They Came Home" underscores how women often carried enormous burdens while receiving little recognition.
The prose is beautifully crafted—lyrical yet grounded, emotional without becoming sentimental. The writing brings both the era and its hardships vividly to life, making the characters feel deeply real and relatable.
Overall, "When They Came Home" is a moving and thought-provoking novel that sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of war. It is a poignant exploration of trauma, resilience, and the strength of family, made even richer by its compelling examination of women’s roles in history.
August 4, 2026
Terri Lewis has written an eye opening story based on her grandparents during the post WWI years when many of our brave young men returned home forever changed. Milton living through a system that seemed to have hindered more than it helped. Edith strengthened through her love and devotion making life work for her family. A moving and heart gripping story to be sure.
Beebe Mesch
Beebe Mesch
Review of advance copy
Company K crosses America, sprawled asleep in seats and aisles, waking at every stop, leaning out the windows, hollering, laughing, pounding their chests. “They need us Yanks,” Milton yells, thrilled by his daring, a daring he lacked with Becca. “One week and boom. All over but the shouting.” That’s Oberly.
from When They Came Home by Terri Lewis
This novel is a thing of grace and beauty, a story of faith and enduring love holding together a family in crisis.
It begins with the teenaged Milton heading to France in 1918. He quickly experiences the horror of that war, watching the deaths of his friends. He returns from war shattered.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was called shell shock in those days, and veterans received little sympathy, support, or care. Real men should just buck up, tamp down the memories, and carry on. Milton’s needs were left untreated.
There was one person who made him feel safe. He married her. Edith’s love was essential to his well being. But doctors separated him from her and their family, prescribing fad treatments like being wrapped in wet fabric. Or shock treatments for the worst cases.
Over the decades, Milton struggled to lead a normal life, to hold a job, to provide for his family. Edith fights for his right to a pension. She holds on because of her faith in God and her love for Milton.
I loved this story and read it in one sitting.
For this award winning novel, Lewis drew inspiration from her grandparents’ story. Her love and respect for them comes through.
Winner of the Miami University Press Novella Prize.
Thanks to Miami University Press and Catlin Hamilton Marketing for a free book.
from When They Came Home by Terri Lewis
This novel is a thing of grace and beauty, a story of faith and enduring love holding together a family in crisis.
It begins with the teenaged Milton heading to France in 1918. He quickly experiences the horror of that war, watching the deaths of his friends. He returns from war shattered.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was called shell shock in those days, and veterans received little sympathy, support, or care. Real men should just buck up, tamp down the memories, and carry on. Milton’s needs were left untreated.
There was one person who made him feel safe. He married her. Edith’s love was essential to his well being. But doctors separated him from her and their family, prescribing fad treatments like being wrapped in wet fabric. Or shock treatments for the worst cases.
Over the decades, Milton struggled to lead a normal life, to hold a job, to provide for his family. Edith fights for his right to a pension. She holds on because of her faith in God and her love for Milton.
I loved this story and read it in one sitting.
For this award winning novel, Lewis drew inspiration from her grandparents’ story. Her love and respect for them comes through.
Winner of the Miami University Press Novella Prize.
Thanks to Miami University Press and Catlin Hamilton Marketing for a free book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Terri Lewis’s When They Came Home is a tender and carefully observed novel about what follows war—how it settles into a marriage, a household, and the long years that come after the fighting ends.
Set in the American Midwest after World War I, the novel traces the life of Edith and Milton (the author’s grandparents), whose early hopes give way to the more complicated realities of a life shaped by trauma. Milton returns from the war altered, withdrawn, carrying what we would now recognize as PTSD, while Edith works to hold their family together across decades marked by uncertainty and limited understanding of what he endures.
The novel’s power lies in its restraint—in the accumulation of small moments that reveal how war’s effects persist in ordinary lives. The prose is lyrical and delivers a steady emotional weight. I found myself reading the book in a single sitting, drawn forward by the intimate portrait of a marriage tested by trauma and sustained by stubborn devotion.
This is a novel less about the events of war than about its aftermath: the quiet negotiations of love, responsibility, and survival that follow. Readers of literary historical fiction, particularly those drawn to character-driven narratives of family and resilience, will find much to appreciate here.
Thank you to the author for the advance reader copy.
Set in the American Midwest after World War I, the novel traces the life of Edith and Milton (the author’s grandparents), whose early hopes give way to the more complicated realities of a life shaped by trauma. Milton returns from the war altered, withdrawn, carrying what we would now recognize as PTSD, while Edith works to hold their family together across decades marked by uncertainty and limited understanding of what he endures.
The novel’s power lies in its restraint—in the accumulation of small moments that reveal how war’s effects persist in ordinary lives. The prose is lyrical and delivers a steady emotional weight. I found myself reading the book in a single sitting, drawn forward by the intimate portrait of a marriage tested by trauma and sustained by stubborn devotion.
This is a novel less about the events of war than about its aftermath: the quiet negotiations of love, responsibility, and survival that follow. Readers of literary historical fiction, particularly those drawn to character-driven narratives of family and resilience, will find much to appreciate here.
Thank you to the author for the advance reader copy.
Review of advance copy received from Author
When They Came Home is a story of war from a vastly different angle. Based on true events, this novella is the poignant story of a soldier who suffered from shell shock after serving in France during World War I.
When Milton, a boy from the farm, returns to Kansas in 1919 and meets Edith, a neighboring farm girl, the couple marry. What starts out as a hopeful union turns into a lifetime of struggle during which Edith must hold her family together. To protect her children and to ensure Milton gets the care he needs, she sues the federal government for denying Milton his pension.
The novel takes place in Kansas farm country, which gave it special meaning to me. I grew up on a farm and could picture so much of what Lewis portrayed. The people are real, and the writing is rich and visceral.
In the early years of the 20th century, the world did not understand shell shock, which we now call PTSD. The treatments Milton had to suffer through were humiliating, and what Edith went through was nothing short of heroic.
There are many tales of war, but this award-winning novella made me cry at the end.
When Milton, a boy from the farm, returns to Kansas in 1919 and meets Edith, a neighboring farm girl, the couple marry. What starts out as a hopeful union turns into a lifetime of struggle during which Edith must hold her family together. To protect her children and to ensure Milton gets the care he needs, she sues the federal government for denying Milton his pension.
The novel takes place in Kansas farm country, which gave it special meaning to me. I grew up on a farm and could picture so much of what Lewis portrayed. The people are real, and the writing is rich and visceral.
In the early years of the 20th century, the world did not understand shell shock, which we now call PTSD. The treatments Milton had to suffer through were humiliating, and what Edith went through was nothing short of heroic.
There are many tales of war, but this award-winning novella made me cry at the end.
August 29, 2026
I almost don't know how to talk about this book. I was deeply moved as I read it, and know I will be thinking about it a lot in the coming days. Lewis crafts an incredibly rich and poignant story of what it was like for a young man and a young woman who come together in the wake of his duty in WWI, and how their life, marriage and family play out as the horror of what he endured during his time in France affects his mental and physical health. Lewis' writing is clear and evocative, and the characters are incredibly rich and authentic. The authenticity of the characters is no surprise as they are based on Lewis' family members and their memorabilia. Highly recommend!
June 30, 2026
“When They Came Home” is a touching and eye opening love story that really helps the reader understand the forever impacts of war on individuals and families. The writer is incredible in describing moments so that you feel that you are right there in their room and in their hearts. Fantastic book! I highly recommend!
September 23, 2026
I had an opportunity to meet Terri at The Read Queen local author event. I’m so glad I did! What a beautiful book based on her grandparents. Milton’s “she’ll shock” was hard to read and Edith was the strong woman she had no other choice but to be. I really liked Terri’s style and thoughtful descriptions that really elevated feeling connected to each character.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
very honored to have been a part of the publication team on this! support indie books!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In *When They Came Home,* Terri Lewis tells a quiet story of courage in the face of devastating psychic wounds. Milton and Edith, young Midwestern newlyweds in 1920, are practical farm folk. They have always looked forward to a simple but rewarding life: good hard work, the love of family, and the friendship of neighbors. But that normal life, however much they may long for it, is out of their reach. Though outwardly unscathed, Milton has returned from the Great War a shattered man.
The sustained trauma of World War I’s trench warfare induced a kind of mental illness that medical science just didn't know how to treat. It was recognized with the term “shell shock” but was nevertheless ill-defined. In this vacuum of ignorance and helplessness, practitioners were left to guess at treatment options. The physicians that are in charge of Milton’s case come up with advice and regimens that range from ineffective to deeply harmful. When Milton can’t follow their advice or fails to improve enough to be able to support his family, the federal government denies the disability pension he earned through his service.
Edith's love for Milton and their children, along with her faith in the necessity of moral living, carries her time and again into taking action beyond what she thinks herself capable. She sees herself as an unexceptional woman: plain, well-intentioned, competent in the household arts but not especially clever, and unfamiliar with the ways of the world outside her community. She never wanted or expected to be the head of her family and feels dogged by her lack of preparation every time she faces a difficult decision.
The novella covers many years in the life of this family through brief and telling episodes. I admire Lewis's choice of episodes, which often avoid the greater drama in favor of deeper insight into the decisions Edith and Milton make in the everyday calm. That is, Lewis focuses on understanding the reasons for their actions, rather than on the disruption or joy that results when they are forced to act. It's an unusual choice, showing the buildup to an inflection point from two angles, and then skipping the crisis itself, moving on to the next episode where the new direction is apparent. I found the result both emotionally and psychologically engaging, creating more empathy than if the story had been told through the crisis moments.
And that makes sense, because the tragedy and the challenge are the loss of a simple everyday life. There is a haunting ache for normality in this story, an unspoken question: “Is this really too much to ask?” It kept calling to my mind the slogan of the Warren Harding presidential campaign, “a return to normalcy,” which resonated so strongly with Americans at the end of the Great War. *When They Came Home* has the ring of authenticity, and not only because it was based on the experience of Lewis’s grandparents. This story of a shattered life and the courage it calls forth is told with such compassion and understanding that it lends the reader a share in both the tragedies and the triumphs of Edith's and Milton's life together.
With thanks to NetGalley and Miami University Press for providing access to an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The sustained trauma of World War I’s trench warfare induced a kind of mental illness that medical science just didn't know how to treat. It was recognized with the term “shell shock” but was nevertheless ill-defined. In this vacuum of ignorance and helplessness, practitioners were left to guess at treatment options. The physicians that are in charge of Milton’s case come up with advice and regimens that range from ineffective to deeply harmful. When Milton can’t follow their advice or fails to improve enough to be able to support his family, the federal government denies the disability pension he earned through his service.
Edith's love for Milton and their children, along with her faith in the necessity of moral living, carries her time and again into taking action beyond what she thinks herself capable. She sees herself as an unexceptional woman: plain, well-intentioned, competent in the household arts but not especially clever, and unfamiliar with the ways of the world outside her community. She never wanted or expected to be the head of her family and feels dogged by her lack of preparation every time she faces a difficult decision.
The novella covers many years in the life of this family through brief and telling episodes. I admire Lewis's choice of episodes, which often avoid the greater drama in favor of deeper insight into the decisions Edith and Milton make in the everyday calm. That is, Lewis focuses on understanding the reasons for their actions, rather than on the disruption or joy that results when they are forced to act. It's an unusual choice, showing the buildup to an inflection point from two angles, and then skipping the crisis itself, moving on to the next episode where the new direction is apparent. I found the result both emotionally and psychologically engaging, creating more empathy than if the story had been told through the crisis moments.
And that makes sense, because the tragedy and the challenge are the loss of a simple everyday life. There is a haunting ache for normality in this story, an unspoken question: “Is this really too much to ask?” It kept calling to my mind the slogan of the Warren Harding presidential campaign, “a return to normalcy,” which resonated so strongly with Americans at the end of the Great War. *When They Came Home* has the ring of authenticity, and not only because it was based on the experience of Lewis’s grandparents. This story of a shattered life and the courage it calls forth is told with such compassion and understanding that it lends the reader a share in both the tragedies and the triumphs of Edith's and Milton's life together.
With thanks to NetGalley and Miami University Press for providing access to an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews