Monday, November 12, 2018

Buried Secrets can Take a Long Time to Explode


Dr Woodrow Wilson Hastings falls to his death on I-25 unleashing the secrets of his past in WWII. At Dr. Hastings funeral, Peter and Frank, his sons, have a confrontation. Peter calls Frank a bastard saying his father brought him home from France. This is an old taunt. Peter has always been the golden boy, football hero and now Pan Am pilot. Frank is known in his home town as a loser always getting in trouble. Now he’s married, writes for a small newspaper, and is working on a novel.

In the process of cleaning out Dr. Hasting’s house, some old drawings and letters are found. Frank is tried of being called a bastard. He wants to know the truth and wants to find his mother. He leaves for France to trace his identity.

At the same time, Peter is caught up in a hijacking. He tries to intervene and is shot. His family fears he’s dead. The ordeals experienced by the two brothers change their lives and the lives of other family members. Relationships will never be the same again.

This is a well written book. The characters grow through their experiences. Frank particularly becomes more the person he was destined to be. However, it’s a slow read filled with anecdotes about the boys early lives, experiences during WWII, Frank’s experiences in Vietnam, and background on the wives and families. All this is interesting, but it’s unclear until the end how all the pieces fit together. The ending itself is satisfying, but you have to work at getting there.

I received this book from PR by the Book for this review.


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