The Road Home - Book Review
A compelling heroine anchors this story of service and sacrifice.
While researching The Women a few months ago, I saw mention of a similar, older book: The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White. Intrigued, I checked it out. What I found was a riveting tale of a young nurse in Vietnam, as compelling as The Women, but without the problematic elements.
Not all victims were soldiers... Lieutenant Rebecca Phillips went to Vietnam as a nurse, to heal and give comfort, and maybe to find answers. The war had torn her family apart and she wanted to know why. But there were no answers for her in Vietnam -- only more questions.
When Rebecca returns to the U.S., her war still isn't over. For only when she's home is she able to confront the horrific realities she experienced during her tour of duty. To piece her life back together, Rebecca travels across the country in search of hope, of forgiveness... of the way home.
On the surface, the books appear similar: a young, inexperienced nurse goes to Vietnam, experiences the horrors of war (including the Tet offensive), comes home, and struggles to readjust. Even the structure of the books (Part 1 set in Vietnam, Part 2 set back home) are similar. But when you look beyond the superficial similarities, the books couldn't be more different in tone, themes, and the depths of characterization.
The nurse in Road Home, Rebecca Phillips, is a likable, well-developed character. Competent and witty, adept at bending the rules when she needs to, her personality flies off the page. Her story technically begins in a prior book in the Echo Company series, but I didn't realize that at first. The Road Home stands on its own well enough that I had no trouble jumping right in. If you want to experience Rebecca's full story, though, start with Book 3: 'Tis the Season.
Though the war and battlefield medicine play a big part in the plot, the heart of the story is Rebecca's relationships with her supervisor, Head Nurse Maggie Doyle, and her crush, young "grunt" Michael Jennings. Doyle looks after Rebecca like a prickly mentor/big-sister, and their scenes together are the best part of the book. The romance with Michael is understated (they are separated for large chunks of the story), yet believable and wholesome.
The book gives an honest look at the suffering inflicted by the war, both the physical injuries and the emotional ones. Like The Women, the pacing sags a bit during the homecoming. Awkward reunions with anti-war friends, and parents struggling to reconnect with their traumatized daughter, just can't compete with the high-octane drama of war-time nursing. But that contrast is deliberate, mirroring Rebecca's experience coming back to "The World".
Though billed as a YA novel (best for older teens due to its violence, medical depictions, and substance abuse) the story is mature enough to appeal to adults as well. It's an engaging story of hope and healing.
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