Revenants

paperback: 306 pages

Publisher: Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC

ISBN-10: 1937327817

Release Date: December 15, 2015

Price: $13.95

A grief-stricken candy-striper serving in a VA hospital following her brother’s death in Viet Nam struggles to return home an anonymous veteran of the Great War against the skullduggery of a congressman who not only controls the hospital as part of his small-town fiefdom but knows the name of her veteran. A name if revealed would end his political ambitions and his fifty-year marriage. In its retelling of Odysseus’s journey, Revenants casts a flickering candle upon the charon toll exacted not only from the families of those who fail to return home but of those who do.

reviews

Like the best of literature, Revenants, the Odyssey Home, is difficult to categorize. It’s a mystery, a love story, a coming-of-age story, an historical novel, a story of political intrigue, a war novel. Its richness is the richness of life. Its intention is to be compelling entertainment and to evoke timeless and universal truths. As such, Revenants will not fade quickly as less substantial novels do but will resonate in the reader’s heart and mind for years to come.

Mark Spencer, Dean

School of Arts and Humanities

And Professor of Creative Writing

Master of Fine Arts Program

University of Arkansas at Monticello

War and it’s aftermath have so many levels of destruction. The person on the battle field is just the tip of the iceberg. War scars families, damaging generations, and this family does not escape any of the aftermath.

This isn’t a book I’d normally read, it’s too real, too heartbreaking. It’s about war, and the shadow of pain left in it’s wake. I was drawn to it for some unknown reason I couldn’t turn it down. So here I am feeling the dark devastation of the Vietnam War of those who didn’t come home, those who did but left something behind and those here at home left to unscramble all the pieces.

We follow young girl, Betsy, through her maze of life and lose, her findings and the ties that were never broken. Betsy is an amazing character supported by an intriguing cast of people and their love, war, lies and hopes. The death of her brother in the Vietnam War changes everything at so many levels. She is forced into candy striping at a local VA hospital where she meets a mystery that will take her and her friends deep into a time long forgotten.

I really can’t tell you more without spoiling the discovery for you. I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It will be with me for many years, haunt me. I finished this with with a need to visit a VA hospital and hold someones hand and listen. A beautiful book.

YodaMom on December 27, 2015

This novel starts out as a slow burner that quickly ignites and develops into an enthralling tale full of twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages.

Brianna’s Book Reviews

It’s not often you read a book and it makes you realise that the writing you thought was good in the previous book you read, was nothing compared with what you are reading now. Kauffman writes in such a detailed manner that I found myself fully immersed in the narrative. The protagonist, Betsy, was excellent. I adored her gumption and I admired her spirit even when everything seemed hopeless, her determination to find the truth was really heart-warming. I felt for her having to mourn her brother and thanks to Kauffman’s descriptions, I found that Betsy’s grief became mine and I wanted her to be okay. The other characters were also brilliant in their own right, all showing beautifully the resilience of the human spirit and also what the idea of family meant to them.

Amy Buckle’s Bookshelf

Revenants forces us to confront the truth about war. I’m glad I stuck with this book because in the end I couldn’t stop reading it. Five Stars.

The Book Lover’s Boudouir

The Faeriew Review: Revenants, The Odyssey Home: Rating: 5 out of 5 fairies. Review: A poignant and bittersweet tale of war, and loss, and lost souls, waiting to be brought home. A brilliant peek into small-town life during Viet Nam-era America, Scott Kauffman takes the reader on an unforgettable journey.

Rating: 5 out of 5 fairies, The Faeriew Review