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A review by dannafs
Something like Normal by Trish Doller
3.0
Travis Stephenson is home in Florida for a one-month leave from Afghanistan. His father was livid when Travis signed up for the Marines, and a tour at war hasn't changed dad's feelings. Things at home are fraught, but Travis has nowhere else to go. War has shone a light on the cracked foundation of his family, and it seems everything will crumble now that it's exposed. Thus, Travis is back, and struggling with two sets of demons: the dramas of his family and the all-consuming nightmares and hallucinations of his time at war.
Doller details post-traumatic stress disorder in a way that is totally readable and believable. My heart ached for Travis as he fought for a sense of normalcy in a life that has become far from normal. Travis may never reach normal, but he's going for Something Like Normal, and here's his story in its challenges and triumphs.
Favorite quote (although I'll say, I think there were way too many references to Travis's erections... (1) He's not 13 and (2) the sheer number of references is gratuitous. This one, however, made me laugh):
"She beams at me and it's almost enough to make up for the fact that I'm harder than trigonometry right now. Almost" (57).
Doller details post-traumatic stress disorder in a way that is totally readable and believable. My heart ached for Travis as he fought for a sense of normalcy in a life that has become far from normal. Travis may never reach normal, but he's going for Something Like Normal, and here's his story in its challenges and triumphs.
Favorite quote (although I'll say, I think there were way too many references to Travis's erections... (1) He's not 13 and (2) the sheer number of references is gratuitous. This one, however, made me laugh):
"She beams at me and it's almost enough to make up for the fact that I'm harder than trigonometry right now. Almost" (57).