Anita Ojeda 
Can their marriage survive his homecoming? Find out in Janyre Tromp’s debut novel, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye.
I receive free electronic advanced reader copies of these books through an arrangement between the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion on NetGalley’s website. I only review books on my blog that I really love.
How Can a Marriage Survive a Long Absence?
I’ve often wondered how servicemen and women survive long absences from their spouses and families. Modern technology makes staying in touch with family members so much easier these days. But imagine the hardship of serving during a long war when letters or telegrams provided the only forms of easy communication. Shadows in the Mind’s Eye takes us into the lives of a reunited family who must deal with the consequences of long separation and the trauma of war.
Shadows in the Mind’s Eye: A Novel
By Janyre Tromp, Kregel Publications, April 2022, 288 pages.
We all bear burdens, but Charlotte Anne Mattas doesn’t know how much longer she can bear up under hers. She holds on, though, knowing her beloved husband Sam will return from the war any day now. He served his country in the Pacific theatre while Annie and her mother-in-law kept the farm and orchards from going under.
Annie expects to pick up where she and Sam left off—but Sam seems fundamentally changed by the horrors of war. Can Annie hold on just a little longer, while Sam works through the unseen war wounds that torture his sleep? Will she find a seed of faith and use it to hold their marriage together?
Sam Mattas knows the war has marked him in unseen ways. Ways deeper than the wound in his shoulder. Nightmares pulse through him in the darkness, and a sound, glance, or word can bring the nightmares leaping into his waking hours.
Annie doesn’t trust him, and Sam can barely trust himself. How can he take up the leadership of his family when his brain plays tricks on him at all hours? Sam fears nefarious elements have taken to using their farm for illegal activities, but no one else believes him. Not his wife, his brother, or his best friend, Doc.
As the web around the Mattas farm seems to tighten, Sam has no idea who he can turn to nor who he can trust.
Why I Loved This Book
Tromp delves into a unique era and location—post World War II and the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. When one thinks of organized crime, one imagines Chicago or New York City—not Hot Springs, AR. And while we now have a better understanding of PTSD, few people understood it before the 1980s—making the transition from soldier to civilian that much harder for servicemen.
Readers will love the suspense and relate to the difficult choices the protagonists must make as they try to rebuild their relationship post-war.
