BOOK DESCRIPTION
Can Stephen Padgett save himself and make peace with his past? Taken hostage while out on army patrol in Afghanistan, he finds himself imprisoned in a cell with his translator, Rashid.
The news of Stephen’s disappearance shatters the comfortable lives of his parents in England and stirs memories of their son’s dark past.
I love war films that are set during the Gulf War, they are usually action packed and many like Black Hawk Down and 13 hours - The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi are based on true stories. So when the email from Anne Carter about the blog tour for this book pinged into my inbox, I jumped at the chance to read and review it, and oh boy, I was so glad that I accepted the opportunity to read this emotionally charged journey of self discovery.
The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Stephen and his parents Cara and Edward and slips back and forth in time. Stephen was a very troubled individual even when he was a young boy and as he grew up, he blamed most of his issues on his parents and their obsessions with their careers in the entertainment industry. He was a mess physically and mentally so his family were genuinely shocked when he decided to join the army. Like everyone, he had made mistakes, actions that he was forced to reflect upon during the long hours that he spent locked in his filthy prison with the cockroaches and the rats whilst living with the constant fear of being tortured by his captors. The same captors that he had to rely on to provide his food and drink and let him take care of his personal hygiene. Stephen's chapters were my favourite parts of the story, they were intense, shocking and full of courage, compassion, fear and sadness. I loved the bond that developed between Stephen and the translator Rashid, the camaraderie and even humour that they shared despite the terrible conditions and treatment that they had to endure on a daily basis. To keep each other entertained they tell each other stories about their lives, or in Stephen's case, a fabricated version of his life.
Meanwhile, at their country home in Hampshire, Cara and Edward are understandably shocked when they are informed by Stephen's CEO that he has gone missing and is probably being held captive. In the beginning, they are contacted daily by the army and kept in the loop about developments in the search for Stephen but as time passed the phone calls and emails gradually diminish. I thought it was really shocking that the Padgett's found out about a major development through the press. Unfortunately it is a sad fact that throughout history the higher ranks and pencil pushers are quick enough to send young men out to war but not so enthusiastic about supporting them when things go wrong. People look down on the homeless and never stop and think that maybe that person was a war veteran who sacrificed their health so we could live in freedom. As both Cara and Edward are also forced to reflect and confront the mistakes they had made in the past, I found that I liked Edward a lot more than I liked Cara and I could fully understand their other son Timothy's attitude towards her. There was issues within the family, the question was,would Stephen's captivity pull them together or push them further apart?
This is a captivating, character driven drama that had me hooked in from the first page and frantically turning the pages. On one hand,I wanted to know the conclusion of Stephen's story but on the other hand, I didn't want the story to end. The story caused me to experience a wide range of emotions and actually left me with a lump in my throat which is something that doesn't happen to me very often. This is a extremely well written debut and I look forward to reading many more of this author's books in the future.
AUTHOR BIO
Hi Nicki. Thank you for such an enthusiastic and supportive review. It really is much appreciated. The next one is under construction right now. Michael
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog tour support x
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