Cleverly told, you're led to what you believe to be a predicable conclusion, and then WTH? Loved it, wanted more...

The specifics about the plot of this book are to do with military deployment, returning home (what is "home" after that), the emotional turmoil. But the overall circumstances are to do with loss, grief, waiting, love, love lost, and unknowing. The emotions of a human life lived alongside a partner are clearly illuminated in this short novel, and honed to a fine point with the specific story of a young couple, one in the military, told in phases passing back and forth through time. The tragedy of war and what it does to people is heartbreakingly clear. The dissolution of love, the lingering emotional toll of war, and what that does to people is also conveyed through the nearly lifeless body of a man bound to a hospital bed for over 3 years, and the wife who visits him but won't let him go. Quiet, sad, and pulsing with a cold, bruised-purple hue (much like the cover of the book), this book injects the reader with a melancholy and sadness sharply felt, but most achingly just out of reach to those who haven't been directly impacted by war like a military spouse or veteran.

Wow! Powerful short novel. Intense. The book takes hold of you and it's impossible to let go until you finish. Well, at least that is how it affected me. No, this is not a thriller. It's actually a quiet book, at least when thinking about the after-effect of war, of a landmine that goes off and kills everyone, but one, Eden.

Perhaps I identified more with the book as I have sat next to a loved one, hooked up to tubes and wires monitoring the body and brain waves; wondering if the person I love is still alive, there, and what would be best for that person. If the eyes open, does that mean they are awake? Conscious?

This book takes an interesting viewpoint, of a dead friend telling this story. He knows more than he should, but then again, he is no longer living.

Good writing, and a great book.

This small book packs a powerful punch of emotions, looking at the aftermath of love, guilt, betrayal and war.