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"Few novels present Vietnam so thoroughly and completely with its aftershocks. A story of great courage and tremendous power."
- Robert Stone author of Dog Soldiers

"Skillfully weaving into her novel a story of romantic love and a suspenseful account of a mother’s effort to remain united with her child, Cheryl Drake makes a compelling memorable debut."
- Frederick Busch

Booklist Review 2006.

" Still suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome some 10 years after her stint in Vietnam as a doctor, Lily finds herself overreacting to the sound of a car backfiring and the flickering fluorescent lights at the grocery store. Certain sensory details trigger a paralyzing fear, and she's suddenly back in a makeshift Vietnamese operating room, treating soldiers whose skin has been liquefied by napalm. In particular, she is haunted by the image of a dead child, who will suddenly materialize on her lawn or in her bedroom. Her increasingly impatient husband, worried about Lily's effect on their son, Jaime, abruptly leaves her for another woman and sues for full custody. Suddenly, the one role that has given Lily's life meaning may be taken from her, but Lily finds new reserves of courage in fighting back.

In her intense debut novel, Harris describes the war dead and wounded with a delicacy of language that only makes the images more horrific. A distinctively styled novel that is especially notable for its unusual perspective on women in combat."

Joanne Wilkinson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved