Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on--responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who's come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam's experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand--but that everyone is learning to fear.
Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn't the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?
Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she's terrified he's going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam's mental wounds--or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?
Debut novelist Janyre Tromp delivers a deliciously eerie, Hitchcockian story filled with love and suspense. Readers of psychological thrillers and historical fiction by Jaime Jo Wright and Sarah Sundin will add Tromp to their favorite authors list.
MY THOUGHTS.....
Remember this author's name! Janyre Tromp's first novel is a stunning depiction of a couple who believes that everything will be as it once was, as soon as the husband returns from the war. Sam Mattas does return, and it doesn't take long for his wife Annie to realize that things will never be the same again. Our society today is very familiar with PTSD but it wasn't a common diagnosis for the returning soldiers of WWII. Tromp poignantly describes Sam's struggles, his attempts to prove that he isn't the villain that he appears to be, and his wife's efforts to understand and accept this new normal. The story alternates between both of their viewpoints, so we're offered a powerful view of their many emotions.
There are so many key elements to this story. Sam's psychological issues, along with Annie's bewilderment and fears, play out against the background of Hot Springs, Arkansas during the 1940s. I loved learning about the historic legacy of Hot Springs National Park, a popular resort area for the rich and affluent, but Hot Springs was also a place of corruption and illegal gambling. Much of the suspense and drama revolves around attempts to keep these activities hidden by bribing the local authorities and pointing fingers at others. Will Sam's erratic behavior cause him to become a scapegoat? Is Annie strong enough to hold their family together?
If you're looking for historical fiction that is overflowing with faith, hope, and inspiration, you need to read Shadows in the Mind's Eye. Tromp's debut novel is a deeply emotional story that you won't soon forget!
I received a copy of this book from Kregel via Read with Audra Blog Tour. There was no obligation for a positive review.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Janyre Tromp is a historical novelist whose loves spinning tales that, at their core, hunt for beauty, even when it isn’t pretty. She’s the author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and coauthor of It’s a Wonderful Christmas.
She’s also a book editor, published children’s book author, and lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her family, two crazy cats, and a slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog. And if you ever meet in person, you pronounce that first name Jan-ear.
You can find her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website, www.JanyreTromp.com (where you can grab a free copy of her novella Wide Open).
GIVEAWAY
The book giveaway will end one week after the tour so that those on the end of the tour can share it.
Oh my goodness, Connie! Thank you so much for the review. I love that you were a librarian for so long. I absolutely adore my local librarians :)
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