Every once in a while a novel comes along that is so powerfully compelling and thought provoking that it will pull at the heartstrings and stir the soul, for me, that novel is author Steven Manchester's Gooseberry Island.

David McClain is an Army Ranger, who is deploying for his first twelve month combat tour of duty in Afghanistan. Before he leaves his home on Gooseberry Island, he hoped that he might meet a special someone who he could write to and look forward to coming home to while on tour. All he wants is to find the right woman, the girl of his dreams, his soul mate.

Lindsey Wood knows first hand the horrors of PTSD. Her father Denis is a decorated Operation Desert Storm veteran, who is struggling with nightmares from his tour in Iraq. Lindsey is his caretaker, but his bouts with his inner demons and alcohol abuse often leads to Lindsey being on the receiving end of her father's violent fits. He has struggled so much that he lives in a constant state of emotional catastrophe, and has even committed himself to the local VA Hospital for treatment on numerous occasions, but nothing seems to help him and he doesn't know how much more he can take.

Lindsey and David meet on the beach the afternoon before he ships out, when Lindsey's dog trips David while running. There is an instant connection between Lindsey and David, and he asks her to go with him to his going away party. They spend the whole night on the beach sitting on a park bench talking until the sunrise. They vow to stay in touch with each other while David is away for the next year, and meet up at the same park bench on the beach when he comes home. But no one can imagine the changes that would occur in their lives, and the traumatic toll it would take from being away from each other for a year.

Author Steven Manchester weaves a powerful, compelling, and emotional tale that easily draws the reader into Lindsey and David's story. Told in an alternating third person narrative, the reader follows Lindsey and David as they try to maintain a long-distance relationship while he serves a twelve month tour in Afghanistan. The reader follows Lindsey as she goes about her life at home, as she tries to help her father cope as he struggles with PTSD, while dreaming of a future with David when he comes home from his tour of duty. The reader also follows David as his tour in the Kabul Province of Afghanistan with the Fourth Ranger Battalion will change his life forever, as he too struggles internally with the traumatic combat experiences that he endured. David's internal struggles follow him home from his tour, and it will take a powerful beacon of light to guide him back home.

Gooseberry Island is a heart wrenching but inspirational story that will pull at your emotional heartstrings. Author Steven Manchester weaves a richly vivid and chilling description of David's tour of duty in Afghanistan, and brings to light the invisible scars that many of our returning service men and women bring with them when they return home. The author provides the reader with a thought provoking tale that raises the awareness of the effects that PTSD can have upon our military. Just because our service men and women come home in one piece, doesn't always mean that the war is over, for many the internal struggles have only just begun, and for some the struggle is too much get past. According to the author's letter to the reader, he calls upon his own personal experience of serving in Operation Desert Storm to weave a story that details the brutal experience of combat service, and the struggle our military veterans encounter when they return home, and the emotional helplessness it causes their loved ones. This is a story that was twenty years in making, one that was written as a wonderful tribute to our nation's military service people and their loved ones. This is a story that will resonate with you for a very long time.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Gooseberry Island by Steven Manchester
Was excited to learn the author has another book coming out soon. Love the area the book takes places and with his words makes the book a really good read.
There are many islands where I am located and there's nothing like it and the author depicts it with the words he uses. He will make you feel like you are right there
Enjoyed reading about the airborne infantry and Ft. Benning as my son served there with the same goals in mind. The flying out of perfectly good airplanes brought back memories.
David has left the island to go serve in the war overseas. He had just met Lindsay on the beach one day and they spent his last night together talking and walking on the beach about each other.
Treasure the experience and events David went through as my son has not been able to talk about his ordeal, over there.
Found it hard to put this book down to do my chores, just taking it all in. Painful to hear of Lindsey's father's troubles and what they have to endure.
Love the connection of the lighthouse has to them...race day reminded me of when my daughter was in the parade at the beginning before the race. I can now just imagine her excitement after hearing about it.
They each have things happen that make them realize they can never be happy when he returns, with one another. Is it possible love can change them both? Detailed descriptions of the scenes and nature all around them are so real the author makes you feel like you are the characters.
Love the paying it forward and how their lives continue on. Other excerpts from the authors other books are included at the end.
I received this book from the author via Netgalley/The Story Plant in exchange for my honest review. ( )

Superb, Accomplished, and Thought Provoking!! This was one of those stories that makes the reader look at things from different perspectives and reflect on events in their own lives. ( )

David McClain and Lindsey Wood almost didn’t meet each other before he had to leave for Afghanistan but they did and he invited her to his going away party. They spent some wonderful times together talking endless and wanting to know everything they could about each other. Lindsey was dealing with her dad, an alcoholic who was mean when he was drunk. She finally persuaded him to sign himself in for treated for PTSD from his war experiences.

David’s experience is monotony punctuated by bursts of danger and terrible situations. He cannot save a young teenage boy because it would have endangered the men he was with yet he felt guilty over it He has survivor guilt just like my cousin did when the person he traded guard duty with was killed. He held back from telling Lindsey anything of his feelings. He didn’t realize at that time that emotional torment is much more deadly than physical. He did not realize that what he was experiences in Afghanistan and later at home were symptoms of PTSD. He rejected the idea of counseling. There is a stigma against mental illness of all kinds and this unfortunately prevents many men and women who suffer with PTSD from asking from help. I know this myself since I have had two PTSD experiences myself. The first time, no one told me to get counseling and I had flashbacks and went through a long time of being guarded not ever relaxing. The second time, I asked for help myself and it was so much better.

There is a strong need for a book on this subject, not just men experience in war zones, often children in foster homes experience PTSD too. If treatment is received early, alcoholism, drug addiction and suicide can be avoided. People with PTSD need to know that they are not guilty and they do not need to feel ashamed. Also they need to know that they are not alone, they do not need to suffer in silence.

I loved that Steven Manchester chose this theme and I thought he depicted the feelings of a person experiencing PTSD very well. I can understand that the reason that David did not speak out about his experiences is an attempt to protect himself but that does not work, it just makes the problem worse. I also liked that he made Lindsey such a strong person, determined not to accept that David would go down the same path as her father. I would encourage other writers want to write about PTSD to tackle what it like for a woman or even a child in a war torn area.

I highly recommend this book and hope that more books are written on this subject.

I received a free copy of this book from the author for a fair review and that in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings in this review. ( )

Title: Gooseberry Island
Author: Steven Manchester
Publisher: The Story Plant
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Review:

"Gooseberry Island" by Steven Manchester

Book Description....

"They met at the worst possible moment...or maybe it was just in time. David McClain was about to go to war and Lindsey Wood was there at his going-away party, capturing his heart when falling for a woman was the last thing on his mind. While David was serving his country, he stayed in close contact with Lindsey. But war changes a person, and when he came home very little had the same meaning that it had before – including the romance that had sustained him. Was love truly unconquerable, or would it prove to be just another battlefield casualty?

Gooseberry Island is the most nuanced, dramatic, and romantic novel yet from a writer whose ability to plumb the depths of human emotion knows few peers."

What I liked about this novel....

This was one interesting story that kept my attention till the end reading this in one setting. The characters were are remarkable...David who was a Army Ranger back from a second tour in Afghanistan looking for someone to love and Lindsey who is dealing with her fathers PTSD from the Gulf war and would luck have it these two meet on the beach and their is a immediate connection.. Only having a day or so before David is to ship out will they be able to keep this connection that they same to have for each other while he is gone for a year? How will war change them especially after what happens to David that will 'over well him and leave him shaken and devastated.' This was very interesting how this author was able to put this story together to let the reader see some of it all. Will this be a lasting situation for David and Lindsey after his return? This is where I say you will have to pick up the good read to see how this will all come out. I liked the description of' Gooseberry Island' as this author gives us the scenes of nature that is around them in the read giving you the feeling of seeing it all. I definitely learned quite a bit about our military people. This author did a wonderful job with this novel showing how war can change a person and how so many of these military people die of suicide and bringing to life the many hardships along with disorders(PTSD) that are suffered by many of our returning military men and women.

I want to thank this author for writing this excellent story that maybe we didn't get the happy ending... but definitely a realistic one along with an inspirational message at the end.

I received a free advance copy of Gooseberry Island from the author. ( )