Monday, July 22, 2013

You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon


I don’t usually read/ listen to short stories, but almost every time I find a fine collection, I say to myself, “You should do this more often!” And I am in total agreement with myself regarding this collection.


All the stories are set in/ around the army base at Fort Hood, TX and are contemporary in their timeline. They are the stories of men and women trying to sustain the normalcy of home and family under abnormal conditions. Some succeed, some fail, and some just “soldier on.” The situations and emotions that take over their lives in You Know When the Men are Gone are the same ones that burdened military personnel and their loved ones from time immemorial.

Some are funny, some are sad, and some simply tell a tale; but they are all worth hearing or reading. I listened to them and found it a deeply moving experience.

CAS

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