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Insight
Returning home from deployment in Afghanistan, Will has to come to terms with lung damage, one blind eye, and going back to a life that's not quite the same anymore.
So does Alex, his partner.
So does Alex, his partner.
182 pages, Paperback
Published August 30, 2018
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3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 16, 2018
Hi, this was a different kind of read for me and wasn’t sure what to expect
Will returns from Afghanistan, injured, depressed and suffering PTSD.....its a lot for him to cope with....as it is for his partner Alex
The book has so many ‘talking points’, war,being gay, being gay in the armed forces, returning home, returning home injured, violence in war, psychological distress, relationships, the list is endless but each one is approached and covered well and not laboriously or refreshingly not always with an answer but with ‘ food for thought’
The story ( although story sounds trite, it felt real and as if was being shared ) was well put together and flowed well and the writing style easy to read and descriptive without being overpowering ( as could have been on these subjects )
I liked Alex and Will and felt for them in their struggles
The book ended suddenly ( imo ) but ended well!
My only 2 things I would point out are that Alex’s sister who features in the book is annoying and would have toned down her interference!, and it would have been good to have a few lines about the author and why she chose this book to write, her previous writing etc
But they are small points in what was an emotive and well written piece that wont be forgotten easily
I am really glad read this book and was a complete change to my usual fare
9/10 5 Stars
January 29, 2019
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.
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.
January 5, 2019
You would expect this book to a simple and short considering the fact that it has „only“ 182 pages but somehow it took me longer to process it. However, I guess stories about war and PTSD and characters that have to cope with both will never be easy to read. There are a lot of things that impressed me;
-the detailed facts that must have taken ages to research. I know nothing about military in general and the involvement of British soldiers in Afghanistan in particular, so I was in awe about points like Will being temporarily stationed in Bielefeld, the yellow ribbons people were wearing and so on.
-the on point descriptions of PTDS and the unnerving struggle to overcome it and to move on. There are scenes in the story don't happen once or twice but three or four times and at first I wanted to be annoyed. But then I realised that this is what trauma makes you do: Repeat the same conflicts, the same shitty things over and over again. Will is so stuck that he is literally unable to move (on) and the longer I read it the more I felt stuck myself.
- the sober, matter-of-fact writing style. This is a good point because it tones down all the drama in Will's and Alex' life. It feels like keeping the white noise down that you feel/hear in the background.
- Ruth. Oh my god, I loved Ruth. The nonchalant way she is caring about her brother, the way she catalyses the plot, her general whole fabulous being... Did I mention that I loved her? Her and Cohen were my favourite characters.
The whole novel feels a bit like I should expect a sequel. Which is probably not very likely to happen. However, it's matching with the way it begins: Abruptly, sudden. It's a bit like a morbid slice of life story. I very much liked that.
-the detailed facts that must have taken ages to research. I know nothing about military in general and the involvement of British soldiers in Afghanistan in particular, so I was in awe about points like Will being temporarily stationed in Bielefeld, the yellow ribbons people were wearing and so on.
-the on point descriptions of PTDS and the unnerving struggle to overcome it and to move on. There are scenes in the story don't happen once or twice but three or four times and at first I wanted to be annoyed. But then I realised that this is what trauma makes you do: Repeat the same conflicts, the same shitty things over and over again. Will is so stuck that he is literally unable to move (on) and the longer I read it the more I felt stuck myself.
- the sober, matter-of-fact writing style. This is a good point because it tones down all the drama in Will's and Alex' life. It feels like keeping the white noise down that you feel/hear in the background.
- Ruth. Oh my god, I loved Ruth. The nonchalant way she is caring about her brother, the way she catalyses the plot, her general whole fabulous being... Did I mention that I loved her? Her and Cohen were my favourite characters.
The whole novel feels a bit like I should expect a sequel. Which is probably not very likely to happen. However, it's matching with the way it begins: Abruptly, sudden. It's a bit like a morbid slice of life story. I very much liked that.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews