What do you think?
Rate this book
Peripheral
392 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 3, 2026
Look, I grew up in a time and place where a kid going into the armed services instead of college/Ivy League was seen as a failure on the school system and the individual who went that route. Add that to my super progressive values and I've not had a good view on enlisted folks, and tended to see them as a monolith through a rather disparaging lens.
This book did something that I'm rather proud of, and is the whole point of reading and exploring others' stories: It brought life, sympathy, some kindness and understanding to folks who walk this path. It allowed me to see the humanity in people I admittedly struggled to do so with, prior to reading this. It helped me grow.
Plot: A slice-of-life vignette of 5 men who have served, and their very different personalities/fall outs/consequences of that service.
Style: There is a lot of allegory and metaphor here, so I'd suggest not going into this with a topical approach.
CWs: A very male-centered novella, R-rated language, minor blood and violence, nonconsensual sexualized nudity. (All appropriate for these characters in this timeframe)
Reviewer's Note: I know the author very well, and helped edit two drafts of this novella. However, I am straightforward, and honest in this review. If it was a crap story I wouldn't review it.
This book did something that I'm rather proud of, and is the whole point of reading and exploring others' stories: It brought life, sympathy, some kindness and understanding to folks who walk this path. It allowed me to see the humanity in people I admittedly struggled to do so with, prior to reading this. It helped me grow.
Plot: A slice-of-life vignette of 5 men who have served, and their very different personalities/fall outs/consequences of that service.
Style: There is a lot of allegory and metaphor here, so I'd suggest not going into this with a topical approach.
CWs: A very male-centered novella, R-rated language, minor blood and violence, nonconsensual sexualized nudity. (All appropriate for these characters in this timeframe)
Reviewer's Note: I know the author very well, and helped edit two drafts of this novella. However, I am straightforward, and honest in this review. If it was a crap story I wouldn't review it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review