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War Torn
Based on personal experiences by the Wall Street Journal and Amazon #1 bestselling military thriller author Jeffrey Wilson, War Torn is an inspirational novel that details a young man's crisis of faith after a tour of combat duty in Afghanistan turns tragic.
Jake is a solid American, a young husband, a good friend, and a patriotic member of the National Guard. While his family and Christian values define who he is, he has never fully understood the passion for faith that his wife, Rachel, and his best friend and fellow soldier, Cal, seem to share. But when Jake and Cal are deployed with their unit to Afghanistan, Jake depends heavily on the quiet but powerful faith of his best friend and embraces, finally, a relationship with God. Despite the horrors he experiences in war and the pain of his separation from Rachel, Jake has found his way for the first time—until a crippling loss shakes his newfound faith to the core and makes him question where God is in his struggles, or if God even exists at all.
Can a loving wife’s faith carry a broken man through the most difficult challenge of his life? Can a committed pastor put his own struggles and doubts aside to help heal a wounded marriage? Like so many combat veterans, Jake must find his way back to his family even after returning from Afghanistan, and learn to find God in the fog of war that follows him home.
Jake is a solid American, a young husband, a good friend, and a patriotic member of the National Guard. While his family and Christian values define who he is, he has never fully understood the passion for faith that his wife, Rachel, and his best friend and fellow soldier, Cal, seem to share. But when Jake and Cal are deployed with their unit to Afghanistan, Jake depends heavily on the quiet but powerful faith of his best friend and embraces, finally, a relationship with God. Despite the horrors he experiences in war and the pain of his separation from Rachel, Jake has found his way for the first time—until a crippling loss shakes his newfound faith to the core and makes him question where God is in his struggles, or if God even exists at all.
Can a loving wife’s faith carry a broken man through the most difficult challenge of his life? Can a committed pastor put his own struggles and doubts aside to help heal a wounded marriage? Like so many combat veterans, Jake must find his way back to his family even after returning from Afghanistan, and learn to find God in the fog of war that follows him home.
- GenresFiction
Unknown Binding
Published October 13, 2018
95 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Wilson
37 books362 followersJeffrey Wilson has at one time worked as an actor, a firefighter, a paramedic, a jet pilot, a diving instructor, a Naval Officer, and a Vascular and Trauma Surgeon. He also served numerous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Navy combat surgeon, deploying with an east coast based SEAL Team as part of a Joint Special Operations Task Force.
He is the co-author, with Brian Andrews, of the Wall Street Journal and Amazon #1 Bestselling TIER ONE series of thrillers from Thomas & Mercer, including TIER ONE, WAR SHADOWS, CRUSADER ONE, and AMERICAN OPERATOR. He and Andrews also Co-author the Nick Foley Thriller Series, written under the pseudonym Alex Ryan, from Crooked Lane Books, which includes BEIJING RED and HONG KONG BLACK.
He is the author of three award winning Supernatural thrillers from JournalStone Publishing: THE TRAITEUR'S RING (2011), THE DONORS (2012), and FADE TO BLACK (2013).
He is also the author of the faith based, inspirational war time novel WAR TORN.
Jeff and his wife, Wendy, are Virginia natives who, with children Ashley, Emma, Jack, and Connor, call Tampa, Florida home. He still works as a Vascular Surgeon and as a consultant for the Department of Defense when not hard at work on his next book.
Learn more about Jeff at www.jeffreywilsonfiction.com and www.andrews-wilson.com
He is the co-author, with Brian Andrews, of the Wall Street Journal and Amazon #1 Bestselling TIER ONE series of thrillers from Thomas & Mercer, including TIER ONE, WAR SHADOWS, CRUSADER ONE, and AMERICAN OPERATOR. He and Andrews also Co-author the Nick Foley Thriller Series, written under the pseudonym Alex Ryan, from Crooked Lane Books, which includes BEIJING RED and HONG KONG BLACK.
He is the author of three award winning Supernatural thrillers from JournalStone Publishing: THE TRAITEUR'S RING (2011), THE DONORS (2012), and FADE TO BLACK (2013).
He is also the author of the faith based, inspirational war time novel WAR TORN.
Jeff and his wife, Wendy, are Virginia natives who, with children Ashley, Emma, Jack, and Connor, call Tampa, Florida home. He still works as a Vascular Surgeon and as a consultant for the Department of Defense when not hard at work on his next book.
Learn more about Jeff at www.jeffreywilsonfiction.com and www.andrews-wilson.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 10, 2018
Jeffrey Wilson has written probably the best fictional depiction of the effects of combat-related PTSD I have ever read. Definitely a book to recommend to friends, family and spouses of returning combat veterans, and definitely a novel with a message returning combat veterans need to read. The relationships are realistic and the combat action scenes are exceptionally well-done. War Torn depicts the life of Jake and Rachel, a patriotic, young working-class couple as they come to grips with Jake's deployment to Afghanistan with the National Guard. Friends are lost, faith is tested and found wanting and both the returning veterans and those who are waiting for them at home must face questions of war, evil, post-survivor guilt and loss in light of the eternal. Jeffrey Wilson is an action suspense-thriller novelist with several best sellers under his belt. War Torn is a slight departure for him but one he chose to make based on his own experiences as a returning combat veteran and field surgeon for Navy SOF. I had the pleasure of participating in a podcast with him over Veterans Day weekend in 2018 in which he shared his personal experiences as a veteran and how they impacted his latest novel. All I can say is job well done, sir! War Torn should also be read by civilians who want to learn more about the thoughts, aspirations and unique struggles of military veterans. War Torn is highly recommended for all the reasons mentioned.
October 27, 2018
I volunteered to review this new novel by Jeffrey Wilson and I am very glad I did. It is a very impressive novel, compelling and engrossing. Wilson has brought to life convincingly the reality of war, combat and strategy, the relationships between the soldiers of the unit. Very real are the emotions they go through on the day to day on either a raid or a show of force patrol. But where Wilson shines is showing the raw emotions they experience when one is injured or more importantly when one of them is killed.
I was distraught when Pete could not come to terms with the death of one of his comrades and the emotions he expressed, raw and intense. You find yourself relating to these emotions but also with empathy and compassion. Then you relate to the attempts of Jake as he tries valiantly, but honestly, in answering the questions that Pete has in relation to this death, why it happened, how do you process this, how do you move on, how do you deal with all these emotions and more. I appreciated the fact that Jake could not help Pete at all and this was just as raw for him as it was for Pete not being able to deal with the reality of war.
And it only gets worse when Cal is killed and Jake's world is turned upside down and he feels he has reached a point of no return. I was on the train when I read all of this novel and it was hard to maintain control when I just wanted to let my emotions go as these characters did. Very hard to not cry on public transport when these emotions have been triggered!
Wilson is very successful in integrating his experience in the military and his tours of duty into this novel. It forms a solid foundation upon which this novel is constructed and adds to the credibility of the plot, characters and its themes. His bio states that he,
has at one time worked as an actor, a firefighter, a paramedic, a jet pilot, a diving instructor, a Naval Officer, and a Vascular and Trauma Surgeon. He also served two tours in Iraq as a combat surgeon with both the Marines and with a Joint Special Operations Task Force.
Such a narrative is best when an author writes what they know compared to applying the research of an unknown topic or element into a novel. The latter is only successful in how it is applied to the plot, but this is not an issue when the author has first-hand experience. The genre of the military, special ops and the like shine when an author is writing from this personal knowledge base. Wilson is one of the masters here. I have no problem reading any of his other novels based on this fact alone. I know I am going to be in for a wild ride and be thoroughly entertained.
Wilson has structured this novel on two levels. The home front where the wives, Kelly and Rachel, respectively, of the two main characters, Cal and Jake, cope with having their husbands on tour of duty and all that this entails. It is here that Wilson develops these two characters and endears the reader to them and their empathy for what they are going through is engaged. The second level, the war front, has the typical depiction of what this is like for these soldiers. Again, Wilson develops the characters, mainly Jake and Cal so that the reader is engaged and committed to them so that when both these two levels meet in the second half, this novel takes off. The former level sets the stage for what happens when Cal is killed and Jake returns home, broken, affected by PTSD and with no end in sight of the nightmare he has experienced. It is here that the fallout from the events of the other soldiers being killed, but especially that of Cal's death is explored in all its rawness, intensity, by Rachel, Kelly, Jake, their family members, Pastors Craig and Chris, TC Morrow, and Adrian.
Wilson shines in the spiritual aspects of this novel. He shows no hesitation or reticence in depicting Cal as living out his faith and it shows in all aspects of his life and relationships. This is one Christian who is not afraid of the gospel of Christ and in proclaiming it. But this is not done in some super-spiritual way where Christians and non-Christians have experienced these super-spiritual, overly zealous Christians where you cannot relate to them. Wilson has depicted Cal as one who knows what his relationship with Jesus is; relational, sincere, practical and where his hope lies. It is this tangible evidence in his life, that draws Jake to Cal and where he accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour. And one other aspect of this relationship Cal has with Jesus is he is not afraid to be real, to show emotion, doubt, but to submit to Jesus and let Him be in control and Sovereign.
Similarly, Wilson has depicted other Christian characters in a similar fashion. I loved Pastor Craig. I loved his vulnerability and admission that he did not have all the answers to help Jake, but it was his humility that grabbed me. He did not suffer from pride or an expectation that as a Pastor he had to know how to handle all situations, especially PTSD and what Jake was going through. This humility was also shown in his accepting counsel from his assistant Pastor, Chris. These two had a Paul and Barnabas relationship on one hand and a Paul and Timothy on the other. These two understood each other, accepted each other's flaw and strengths, were very comfortable with each other.
I know Wilson has modelled Craig on his own Pastor as he states in the Acknowledgements. He seems to have quite a Shepherd in this Pastor and I can see from this depiction of Craig and also of Pastor Chris what a positive effect this has had on Wilson's life and spirituality and relationship with Christ. I have said in many reviews, that the Christian, Biblical and spiritual elements of a novel can also give a glimpse of the relationship the author has with Christ. I can see this through the characters of Pastor's Chris and Craig, Adrian, and Cal. I know what to expect if I ever met this author and others. This transparency is a wonderful characteristic and evidence of the Spirit's work in this author's life.
Christian fiction is often criticised for being preachy in the gospel message, or for including the actual prayer from the Christian characters. Sometimes, I find this to be unfounded while at other times, it can stand out from the plot and appear as if it has been added for Christian content only or not an essential part of the plot. Not so with this novel. Wilson has avoided this by integrating the gospel message and the themes of forgiveness, redemption, submission, hope in Christ, the question of death, killing and grief as part of the plot structure and character development. It is more giving counsel than so-called "preaching" in dealing with the very real but raw emotions experienced by Jake over Cal's death, his guilt, anger, his PTSD, and the issues Rachel and Kelly had to deal with over their grief of Cal's death and Rachel's affected husband. This novel would fall flat and be very unsatisfying without the integration of these elements. Wilson has also been upfront with adding the biblical reference to these themes and accounts of counsel. Three specific accounts that impressed me greatly were the instruction and counsel from Cal to Jake about killing, Romans 8 between Kelly and Rachel but the one that really impacted me was the account when Craig was ministering to Jake about the Power of the Cross and what Jesus' death meant to us all in any situation we are in, in this case, PTSD, loss of a loved one/spouse/friend/soldier and discovering who you are in Christ. All three examples very powerful messages on their own but work seamlessly together. They definitely show the power of the Word of God. I found all these examples beautifully executed by Wilson.
Wilson's method here just reinforces the tenet that we learn better when information in all its forms is delivered in an entertaining way. Fiction is well placed to do this and is very successful. Christian fiction fits in very well here. You do not feel as if you are being preached at when authors like Wilson integrate into the structure of the plot and its themes. It also adds depth and strength to the novel's structure. I state in the "Why Christian Fiction?" tab of this blog from reading Christian fiction I like to experience that,
-it has entertained me immensely,
-it has encouraged my walk with God,
-it has not deviated from known biblical doctrine, and it will not lead a non-believer astray or promote false doctrine,
-it honours God,
-it does not encourage worship of the created (eg angels) instead of the Creator (God).
Wilson has definitely achieved this for me. Fiction can be a very powerful platform when an author writes for God under His guidance/anointing.
Another aspect of the spiritual in this novel is a touch of the supernatural. Both Rachel and Jake have dreams where they are visited by a messenger called Luke. It is very identifiable that this messenger is an angel (Mal'ak (also spelt as Malak or Melek and is the Semitic word for "angel" Hebrew מַלְאָךְ and means messenger). He tells each of them what they need to do and a heads up on what to expect when Jake comes home. In Jake's case, he has an opposing voice to what Luke says and at first, I wondered if it was demonic, but as this was not as obvious as who Luke is, it seems to be the negative talk from his brokenness, anger, guilt, shame. However, when Jake is care-fronted by Adrian and Craig with the Word of God and their counsel based on this, it is easy to see this negative but destructive self-talk is destroyed (excuse the play on words here!). Even Rachel is ashamed or embarrassed to discuss her dream and counsel from Luke with Pastor Craig.
It does make me wonder why Christians are so reticent to accept the supernatural in our lives even when it becomes obvious! It should go hand in hand with our conversion and experience of Jesus. I would have liked to have seen more of this supernatural element in this novel but it served its purpose.
This novel highlighted the need for more support by the government in reality to support veterans. I honestly do not know if the situation here in Australia is the same or similar to what you see and in America, but I am shocked at the lack of care and support on every level of society for veterans! There needs to be more resources created, distributed and any existing ones expanded and improved to meet the needs of the armed forces members once they return home. It should also be for life as their needs are not temporary in the majority of cases.
Wilson has tied up all the loose ends well by the end of the novel and while it has a happy and satisfying ending, how it does end and what Jake, Rachel, Kelly, Craig and Chris achieve in their lives, physically, mentally and emotionally is not just for the novel's ending but is what can be achieved by faith, by mentoring, by coming alongside those who are broken, despairing and at the end of themselves, by allowing the Spirit of God to minister through any willing Christian and in the broken who has a heart and mind that is receptive to the Spirit's healing.
This is one very impressive novel. It is action packed, it hooks you and does let go. It will tug at your emotions, it uplifts you and shows the power of the Cross and Jesus' victory over sin and death and His restorative and redemptive power.
I look forward to more from this author. Jeffrey Wilson is one author to follow are support.
Highly Recommended.
I was distraught when Pete could not come to terms with the death of one of his comrades and the emotions he expressed, raw and intense. You find yourself relating to these emotions but also with empathy and compassion. Then you relate to the attempts of Jake as he tries valiantly, but honestly, in answering the questions that Pete has in relation to this death, why it happened, how do you process this, how do you move on, how do you deal with all these emotions and more. I appreciated the fact that Jake could not help Pete at all and this was just as raw for him as it was for Pete not being able to deal with the reality of war.
And it only gets worse when Cal is killed and Jake's world is turned upside down and he feels he has reached a point of no return. I was on the train when I read all of this novel and it was hard to maintain control when I just wanted to let my emotions go as these characters did. Very hard to not cry on public transport when these emotions have been triggered!
Wilson is very successful in integrating his experience in the military and his tours of duty into this novel. It forms a solid foundation upon which this novel is constructed and adds to the credibility of the plot, characters and its themes. His bio states that he,
has at one time worked as an actor, a firefighter, a paramedic, a jet pilot, a diving instructor, a Naval Officer, and a Vascular and Trauma Surgeon. He also served two tours in Iraq as a combat surgeon with both the Marines and with a Joint Special Operations Task Force.
Such a narrative is best when an author writes what they know compared to applying the research of an unknown topic or element into a novel. The latter is only successful in how it is applied to the plot, but this is not an issue when the author has first-hand experience. The genre of the military, special ops and the like shine when an author is writing from this personal knowledge base. Wilson is one of the masters here. I have no problem reading any of his other novels based on this fact alone. I know I am going to be in for a wild ride and be thoroughly entertained.
Wilson has structured this novel on two levels. The home front where the wives, Kelly and Rachel, respectively, of the two main characters, Cal and Jake, cope with having their husbands on tour of duty and all that this entails. It is here that Wilson develops these two characters and endears the reader to them and their empathy for what they are going through is engaged. The second level, the war front, has the typical depiction of what this is like for these soldiers. Again, Wilson develops the characters, mainly Jake and Cal so that the reader is engaged and committed to them so that when both these two levels meet in the second half, this novel takes off. The former level sets the stage for what happens when Cal is killed and Jake returns home, broken, affected by PTSD and with no end in sight of the nightmare he has experienced. It is here that the fallout from the events of the other soldiers being killed, but especially that of Cal's death is explored in all its rawness, intensity, by Rachel, Kelly, Jake, their family members, Pastors Craig and Chris, TC Morrow, and Adrian.
Wilson shines in the spiritual aspects of this novel. He shows no hesitation or reticence in depicting Cal as living out his faith and it shows in all aspects of his life and relationships. This is one Christian who is not afraid of the gospel of Christ and in proclaiming it. But this is not done in some super-spiritual way where Christians and non-Christians have experienced these super-spiritual, overly zealous Christians where you cannot relate to them. Wilson has depicted Cal as one who knows what his relationship with Jesus is; relational, sincere, practical and where his hope lies. It is this tangible evidence in his life, that draws Jake to Cal and where he accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour. And one other aspect of this relationship Cal has with Jesus is he is not afraid to be real, to show emotion, doubt, but to submit to Jesus and let Him be in control and Sovereign.
Similarly, Wilson has depicted other Christian characters in a similar fashion. I loved Pastor Craig. I loved his vulnerability and admission that he did not have all the answers to help Jake, but it was his humility that grabbed me. He did not suffer from pride or an expectation that as a Pastor he had to know how to handle all situations, especially PTSD and what Jake was going through. This humility was also shown in his accepting counsel from his assistant Pastor, Chris. These two had a Paul and Barnabas relationship on one hand and a Paul and Timothy on the other. These two understood each other, accepted each other's flaw and strengths, were very comfortable with each other.
I know Wilson has modelled Craig on his own Pastor as he states in the Acknowledgements. He seems to have quite a Shepherd in this Pastor and I can see from this depiction of Craig and also of Pastor Chris what a positive effect this has had on Wilson's life and spirituality and relationship with Christ. I have said in many reviews, that the Christian, Biblical and spiritual elements of a novel can also give a glimpse of the relationship the author has with Christ. I can see this through the characters of Pastor's Chris and Craig, Adrian, and Cal. I know what to expect if I ever met this author and others. This transparency is a wonderful characteristic and evidence of the Spirit's work in this author's life.
Christian fiction is often criticised for being preachy in the gospel message, or for including the actual prayer from the Christian characters. Sometimes, I find this to be unfounded while at other times, it can stand out from the plot and appear as if it has been added for Christian content only or not an essential part of the plot. Not so with this novel. Wilson has avoided this by integrating the gospel message and the themes of forgiveness, redemption, submission, hope in Christ, the question of death, killing and grief as part of the plot structure and character development. It is more giving counsel than so-called "preaching" in dealing with the very real but raw emotions experienced by Jake over Cal's death, his guilt, anger, his PTSD, and the issues Rachel and Kelly had to deal with over their grief of Cal's death and Rachel's affected husband. This novel would fall flat and be very unsatisfying without the integration of these elements. Wilson has also been upfront with adding the biblical reference to these themes and accounts of counsel. Three specific accounts that impressed me greatly were the instruction and counsel from Cal to Jake about killing, Romans 8 between Kelly and Rachel but the one that really impacted me was the account when Craig was ministering to Jake about the Power of the Cross and what Jesus' death meant to us all in any situation we are in, in this case, PTSD, loss of a loved one/spouse/friend/soldier and discovering who you are in Christ. All three examples very powerful messages on their own but work seamlessly together. They definitely show the power of the Word of God. I found all these examples beautifully executed by Wilson.
Wilson's method here just reinforces the tenet that we learn better when information in all its forms is delivered in an entertaining way. Fiction is well placed to do this and is very successful. Christian fiction fits in very well here. You do not feel as if you are being preached at when authors like Wilson integrate into the structure of the plot and its themes. It also adds depth and strength to the novel's structure. I state in the "Why Christian Fiction?" tab of this blog from reading Christian fiction I like to experience that,
-it has entertained me immensely,
-it has encouraged my walk with God,
-it has not deviated from known biblical doctrine, and it will not lead a non-believer astray or promote false doctrine,
-it honours God,
-it does not encourage worship of the created (eg angels) instead of the Creator (God).
Wilson has definitely achieved this for me. Fiction can be a very powerful platform when an author writes for God under His guidance/anointing.
Another aspect of the spiritual in this novel is a touch of the supernatural. Both Rachel and Jake have dreams where they are visited by a messenger called Luke. It is very identifiable that this messenger is an angel (Mal'ak (also spelt as Malak or Melek and is the Semitic word for "angel" Hebrew מַלְאָךְ and means messenger). He tells each of them what they need to do and a heads up on what to expect when Jake comes home. In Jake's case, he has an opposing voice to what Luke says and at first, I wondered if it was demonic, but as this was not as obvious as who Luke is, it seems to be the negative talk from his brokenness, anger, guilt, shame. However, when Jake is care-fronted by Adrian and Craig with the Word of God and their counsel based on this, it is easy to see this negative but destructive self-talk is destroyed (excuse the play on words here!). Even Rachel is ashamed or embarrassed to discuss her dream and counsel from Luke with Pastor Craig.
It does make me wonder why Christians are so reticent to accept the supernatural in our lives even when it becomes obvious! It should go hand in hand with our conversion and experience of Jesus. I would have liked to have seen more of this supernatural element in this novel but it served its purpose.
This novel highlighted the need for more support by the government in reality to support veterans. I honestly do not know if the situation here in Australia is the same or similar to what you see and in America, but I am shocked at the lack of care and support on every level of society for veterans! There needs to be more resources created, distributed and any existing ones expanded and improved to meet the needs of the armed forces members once they return home. It should also be for life as their needs are not temporary in the majority of cases.
Wilson has tied up all the loose ends well by the end of the novel and while it has a happy and satisfying ending, how it does end and what Jake, Rachel, Kelly, Craig and Chris achieve in their lives, physically, mentally and emotionally is not just for the novel's ending but is what can be achieved by faith, by mentoring, by coming alongside those who are broken, despairing and at the end of themselves, by allowing the Spirit of God to minister through any willing Christian and in the broken who has a heart and mind that is receptive to the Spirit's healing.
This is one very impressive novel. It is action packed, it hooks you and does let go. It will tug at your emotions, it uplifts you and shows the power of the Cross and Jesus' victory over sin and death and His restorative and redemptive power.
I look forward to more from this author. Jeffrey Wilson is one author to follow are support.
Highly Recommended.
Read
March 29, 2021This was such a touching read. As a person who has never been to war, this book gave the smallest fleeting glimpse of this world. I can’t even begin to fathom what our soldiers have gone through. I don’t feel like I am going through a crisis of faith, but I have always envied people who read the Bible and that lightness those people emanate. This book has given me a small spark to want to open the Bible and find a church that can help me. Thank you.
November 18, 2018
God always speaks of you lison
God always puts you where you need to be. And if you forget he reminds you if you're still interested. Stumbled on this one and got a blessings when it was needed!
God always puts you where you need to be. And if you forget he reminds you if you're still interested. Stumbled on this one and got a blessings when it was needed!
December 11, 2018
I was skeptical when I started this book. The reviews were generally good but I was worried that the religious theme about it would be forced. I was very pleasantly surprised. The theme was throughout, but it was not forced and it felt like how any body else may feel. It shows the real struggle people have. I ended up loving the book. The writing was occasionally a little choppy is the only reason it is down to 4 stars. The actually story was easily a 5.
December 28, 2021
An impressive tale of the toll taken from warriors who've been thrust into battle. Jeffrey Wilson, who's known to me as one half of the team that writes the excellent Tier 1 series, has shown he can write effective and moving military action dramas. This one leans on that set of skills and adds another level, this one about the challenges a Christian believer faces while doing one of the most challenging jobs a believer can take on. My mind turns to a letter to the editor I read in the LA Times years ago from a veteran of the Normandy landing. The writer complained that he was tasked with going into battle to commit what to an average citizen would be tantamount to atrocities and crimes if their actions happened in normal day-to-day life.
Wilson expresses the difficulty a man who finds himself in a situation where hard choices must be made, losing his faith, but ultimately realizing he needs to believe in something bigger than himself to have a chance at sanity. While the first part of the novel is filled with action, the conclusion is an evangelical, epistemological argument of what Christianity has brought to its believers. This is not only a military thriller, but a faith-based thriller of the inner life of a man possessed by the demons of things he's done, and things he failed to do. A damned fine read.
Wilson expresses the difficulty a man who finds himself in a situation where hard choices must be made, losing his faith, but ultimately realizing he needs to believe in something bigger than himself to have a chance at sanity. While the first part of the novel is filled with action, the conclusion is an evangelical, epistemological argument of what Christianity has brought to its believers. This is not only a military thriller, but a faith-based thriller of the inner life of a man possessed by the demons of things he's done, and things he failed to do. A damned fine read.
July 27, 2022
Good book with powerful message.
This was a good book with a powerful message. It is not literature that will withstand the test of time, in my opinion. The story line is about faith, war, and redemption. We see Jake, the main character, acclimate to being in the middle of a war and the crisis of his faith that he endures while he is deployed and when he returns home. We see his wife struggle with this changed man she married and wants to help. I cried throughout the book. It is sad, maddening, but eventually good for the soul. I highlighted several passages that meant a lot to me. I would recommend this book to anyone with one caveat. The book has a lot of swearing in it, though no F-bombs. It is not helpful to the story of faith. The author even explains his views, through the characters, about swearing.
This was a good book with a powerful message. It is not literature that will withstand the test of time, in my opinion. The story line is about faith, war, and redemption. We see Jake, the main character, acclimate to being in the middle of a war and the crisis of his faith that he endures while he is deployed and when he returns home. We see his wife struggle with this changed man she married and wants to help. I cried throughout the book. It is sad, maddening, but eventually good for the soul. I highlighted several passages that meant a lot to me. I would recommend this book to anyone with one caveat. The book has a lot of swearing in it, though no F-bombs. It is not helpful to the story of faith. The author even explains his views, through the characters, about swearing.
March 17, 2019
Jake is his own worst enemy, just like most of us. If you like war stories, you’ll like this one. The battle scenes and aftermath are vivid and riveting. Its Christian themes are deeply woven throughout. They are central to the plot and the character arc. Jake survives the trauma of war through the faith of others around him, and ultimately his own. The only fault I find is that the supporting cast are such good people, all just wanting the best for Jake. And his wife is just about too perfect to be believable. Nevertheless, the book is well written and worth the read.
October 25, 2020
This novel reads like a real story because it's based on the personal experiences of the author. The novel starts out with Jake being deployed to Afghanistan. Readers experience only a fraction of what that must be like. Returning home, he has to deal with the loss, the terror, the tension, the comforts of life back home. A good, but at times, difficult read.
January 11, 2019
Raw.
What a journey. What a raw, "keeping it a 100" journey! Wow. Deep, powerful, real. A rollercoaster ride of emotions. At the end of the day, the light of Christ shines. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, NEVER GIVES UP on us!
It's a must read. Grab that book.
What a journey. What a raw, "keeping it a 100" journey! Wow. Deep, powerful, real. A rollercoaster ride of emotions. At the end of the day, the light of Christ shines. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, NEVER GIVES UP on us!
It's a must read. Grab that book.
February 6, 2019
Praise God
Thank you and everyone involved with this book. It was an amazing experience and helped me to realize a lot of my struggles would be so much easier to handle if I just give everything up to Him. God bless you and your family.
Thank you and everyone involved with this book. It was an amazing experience and helped me to realize a lot of my struggles would be so much easier to handle if I just give everything up to Him. God bless you and your family.
March 10, 2020
A book for anyone struggling with faith
I would like to thank Mr. Wilson for telling this story. The imagery in his stories make you feel as if you are there. He brings the struggle with PTSD and belief in God to life. The pain is real.
I would like to thank Mr. Wilson for telling this story. The imagery in his stories make you feel as if you are there. He brings the struggle with PTSD and belief in God to life. The pain is real.
January 16, 2019
Kept me up and engrossed!
War Torn lived up to its title. Characters were real and drew me in to their story. Might be a difficult read for some, but definitely worth it!
War Torn lived up to its title. Characters were real and drew me in to their story. Might be a difficult read for some, but definitely worth it!
October 25, 2019
Bring a box of tissue
This is a real tear jerker. The story line is very real. The character struggles are real. I will miss the characters in this story.
This is a real tear jerker. The story line is very real. The character struggles are real. I will miss the characters in this story.
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February 21, 2022Powerful!
Spiritually powerful and painfully real! Jeffrey Wilson’s experience in war and as a veteran come through in this spiritual journey!
Spiritually powerful and painfully real! Jeffrey Wilson’s experience in war and as a veteran come through in this spiritual journey!
September 1, 2022
This book could be either a really good movie or miniseries.
December 17, 2018
I know this book is technically not Christian fiction, despite the plot and all of the Christian content.....but I would have expected it to be curse free, or close to it......unfortunately, it had a lot of bad language...even the "F-word", and even said by a Christian. The pastor cursed, even in his prayer.
The book was a really good read, and gave what seems to be a realistic view of war and what a soldier goes through on the field and after, but for the type of book it was, the language was definitely out of place
The book was a really good read, and gave what seems to be a realistic view of war and what a soldier goes through on the field and after, but for the type of book it was, the language was definitely out of place
April 1, 2019
This is a faith-based military fiction novel. I’ve read other military fiction books by this author, so i was expecting a similar tale when i picked it up. The religious component was a delightful surprise. The MC, Jake, always went to church because that’s what parents and spouses expect you to do, but it never really clicked until his National Guard unit gets called to active duty in Afghanistan. (This is not a spoiler because it happen in the prologue of the book). When his best friend dies at the hands of a child, suicide bomber, his young faith is tested beyond his ability to cope. This was a genuinely enjoyable read, and I hope the author writes more like it. It you have a senior getting ready to go into the military, this is not a bad book to put in their hand to help them keep their faith in difficult circumstances.
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