In the Shadow of War
Description of In the Shadow of War
Glen Kinsella has just finished opening all his high school graduation cards proclaiming him to be on the doorstep of an exciting life. But as the summer of 1970 begins, Glen is living with his deluded grandfather and an array of desperate residents in a Midwestern prairie town that has withered to near-extinction – a town populated primarily by the sagging shells of long abandoned houses.
Hope is not one of Glen’s traits. In high school, he was known as the retard’s brother. He never had a date, nor even tried to be on speaking terms with someone as sophisticated as Suzanne. But as his grandfather always said, anything is possible in Corcoran. And in the summer of 1970, that prediction appears to be finally coming true.
After decades of planning the revival of his beloved town, Glen’s grandfather convinces a group of women whose husbands have been sent to Vietnam to live in Corcoran. Soon they begin renovating an old ballroom, where Suzanne will perform for the grand opening. But all this new life is threatened when a disgraced war vet arrives, harboring a secret about one of the husbands that will thrust the town into the center of political controversy.
Reviews of In the Shadow of War
In my opinion, Patrick Garry is one of the best writers of literature working today. His latest novel In The Shadow Of War is proof again that a simple story of a small town and it’s characters can be turned into a can’t put down mesmerizing experience for the readers both young and old. This book along with Mr. Garry’s previous novels, will stay in your memory far after you’ve read the last page, and keep you begging for more of this very talented writer’s novel.
-John Austin, Tantalk Radio Network’s Book Club
Patrick M Garry creates an emotive, microcosmic atmosphere against a backdrop of national conflict in his new book In the Shadow of War.
Garry’s intriguing novel interweaves one boy’s coming-of-age drama with the memories, conversations and interactions of a gaggle of diverse characters. Glen’s recurring recollections of his time with Ricky provide a kind of playbook for his current exploration of the world of adulthood that he soon must enter. As the summer passes, the boy also learns more about Grandpa’s deep attachment to Corcoran. The potent framing for this elaborate interpersonal tapestry is the Vietnam War. Protests against the war are mounting, and protestors come to Corcoran, affecting and afflicting its newfound collection of war wives, widows and survivors.
Garry, an award-winning novelist and professor of law, has constructed a sensitive, intelligent story redolent of the times, bringing the Vietnam War to Corcoran through the conflicting feelings and opinions of the community. …[R]eaders with ties to those difficult times will appreciate how judiciously the author presents varying viewpoints without forcing the reader to take sides. When Will expresses what Nam was like for the warriors, he could as easily be speaking for those back in the US watching the action on TV each evening: “You never knew where anything was going, or how anything would work out.”
Quill says: Garry has created a memorable snapshot of a divisive era in our nation’s history, revealed through the eyes of realistically conceived characters who, no matter the outcome, have much to gain or lose.
–Feathered Quill Book Reviews
In The Shadow of War centers on a group of individuals that deal with causalities of war. The author does a magnificent job building all of the characters in this story, with great insight into their personalities. I felt the characters were real, in fact, I thought it was a true story. And I especially loved the affection between the brothers, which was heart-warming, and exceptionally written. Glen, the main character in the book, lives with his deluded grandfather and an array of desperate residents in a Midwestern prairie town in the ’70s. The relationships between the other characters are intense, but they work together toward a common goal, renovating an old ballroom. Unfortunately, this is threatened when a disgraced war veteran arrives in town, harboring a secret about one of the husbands that will thrust the residents into the center of political controversy. The descriptions about the town and the area bordering it are very concise and believable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I devoured it in two days. Highly recommended!
–Michael Rowland, TopShelf Reviews
This is a good “coming of age” story about Ben in the summer of 1970 and what he goes through as his town is one of the last ones to build a bomb shelter (on the brink of the cold war). It goes through life in a large Catholic family in a small town. This was definitely a good book and I liked the epilogue the best, it tugged at my heartstrings.
–Bookshelves
Recommending In the Shadow of War as a “worthwhile fiction from a local author,” book critic Mary Ann Grossman writes: “Set in 1970, this tender story centers on Glen, whose brother is brain-damaged. The boys spend summers with their Grandfather O’Shea in Corcoran, a dying town in western Minnesota. But Grandpa is an optimist, always ‘boasting that Corcoran was on the edge of a comeback.’
Glenn returns to Corcoran the summer after he graduates from high school, but it isn’t the same because his brother has died. Glen’s worried about the war in Vietnam, and he isn’t thrilled when his grandfather invites some women whose husbands are in the service to move into empty houses. But the women bring the town to life, and Glen learns from them.
Unlike some authors who write about young people and never seem to finish their story, Garry tells his readers what happens to Glen later in life, tying up loose ends and offering a satisfying conclusion.”
–St. Paul Pioneer Press
“If I were still teaching my course in Contemporary American Novel, I would include In the Shadow of War on the reading list. Among the great strengths of the novel are the irresistible narrator and the irresistibly sympathetic Ricky. Moreover, the exceptionally full and vivid characterizations make for a rich reading experience. And the ending is deeply moving, containing some of the best writing I have ever read.”
-Michael A. Hollister, author and professor, English Department of Portland State University.
One of the strengths of really good writing is often what it leaves unsaid, allowing the reader to feel the truth more strongly than having it spelled out. There is a lot of really good writing in this novel that delivers major emotional impact in minor keys and literally compels you to follow the story to its conclusion.
The “war” in the title is the Viet Nam War, which locates the story in time. All the action, however, takes place stateside, where internal wars are being fought in a seemingly terminal hamlet in the Midwest. Glen is the narrator recounting the summer he was eighteen. For years, he and his brother spent those warm months at his grandfather’s farm. This summer his brother isn’t with him. Guilt and regret have taken his sibling’s place. New people have found their way to this crumbling village. Hope in a civic resurrection is being fomented at the same time corruption and a hated Southeast Asian war threaten to drive the final nails into the town’s coffin. Glen’s life this summer will be inexorably changed in ways he never could have imagined.
Garry is a writer who utilizes the power of honesty and restraint. He creates vivid characters and imbues them with human frailties that plague us all yet still makes those characters worthy of respect, even admiration. Never forsaking substance for style, he delivers seemingly simple turns-of-phrase that are both impactful and memorable. Perhaps most of all, he respects his readers’ ability to fill in blanks that touch the heart. This is an author and a book worthy of note.
–US Review of Books
This is a beautifully written love story, and in it, you will find vivid characters who point out that the innocence of youth transcends to the self-awareness of adulthood where you realize you’re not perfect and not all wars can be won.
-Lori’s Book Loft
An enchanting love story on many levels, In the Shadow of War also boasts strong characters, dialogue, pacing, and setting, as well as its valuable perspective on America’s chilly response to returning Vietnam War vets.
As anti-war protests peak and the Vietnam War wanes in 1970, 18-year-old Glen Kinsella arrives for his annual, uneventful summer sojourn in Corcoran, Minnesota, which he cynically thinks of as his grandfather’s ghost town. But as he tinkers with machinery and grows crops on the farm his mother refuses to visit, Glen reaps a summer of surprises and personal growth.
In the Shadow of War is told from Glen’s viewpoint, which includes plentiful internal dialogue that is often self-critical and bleak. He feels guilty about the accidental death of his mentally disabled older brother, Ricky, whose protection had been Glen’s job since he turned nine and became more adept than his parents at handling his tantrums and odd behaviors. Yet Glen has grown up feeling like a failure and a coward for never standing up to bullies at school who made fun of Ricky.
Author Patrick M. Garry uses simple, direct language to take readers inside Glen’s fear of war by having him compare his response to a severely injured soldier to negative reactions Ricky once received. Similarly, we see Corcoran through the pessimism Glen inherited from his mom who hated growing up there. It is a community, he notes, where empty houses far outnumber residents, a “place to go when you have nothing more to lose.” But Glen is surprised by Corcoran’s “population boom,” including three young military wives who dream of creating a community for other women like themselves and for damaged veterans. They’ve found a champion in Grandpa O’Shea, who has been accumulating abandoned properties in hopes of repopulating Corcoran through offers of free housing and jobs.
Scents and sounds play an important role in the novel’s setting. Glen notes that when the wind is right, Corcoran’s sole restaurant, The Fieldstone Cafe, makes it smell “like the inside of a bakery.” Sensuality intensifies when a mysterious, 18-year-old musician wanders into town and is invited to stay. Suzanne’s solitary nighttime practice sessions on Corcoran’s only piano drift into open windows throughout town like lullabies. Feeling “emotionally retarded,” Glen distrusts her beauty and kindness. But her performances make him want to turn off the lights, “go to bed earlier,” and listen.
–Alicia Rudnicki for IndieReader
In the Shadow of War by Patrick M. Garry, is a very good and well-written contemporary “American” novel… It is a well-written and intriguing dialogue about the struggles of an American family, and its loves, hopes and dreams. If you enjoy the past times and the nostalgia associated with “Americana Life,” you will enjoy this novel and will quickly forget about your cell phones, internet, and all the current and new age technologies. 5 stars!
–ReaderViews
“This book is a wonderful story of a community that comes together with a purpose because of the war and faces challenges because of the war. The relationships between all the characters are dynamic, and they work together toward a common goal. The ending is very much a surprise, and you won’t be able to stop until you get there. It’s a great short read.
-Book Reviewer for Amazon.com
This is a superbly written novel set in 70s America against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Glen Kinsella blames himself for the death of his mentally handicapped brother, Ricky, who died in a road accident. Ricky persists as a symbolic presence in Glen’s life, and a yardstick against which he measures the integrity of the people he meets. He spends the summer in the one-horse town of Corcoran, where his grandfather is buying up real estate, hoping to revive the community by persuading the wives of servicemen to live there while their husband’s serve in Nam. There Glen meets Suzanne, a girl his age from Seattle, visiting Corcoran in search of her grandfather’s grave. Initially Glen is suspicious – he assumes she is the kind of person who would have shunned and ridiculed Ricky – but gradually the two fall in love. Glen’s maturation is well handled, and we watch him qualify his assumptions as he comes to recognise Suzanne’s humanity and vulnerability. It’s a excellent portrait of a sensitive, guilt ridden man’s moral and emotional struggles. The central character is multilayered, and minor characters are also well rounded – particularly Will, a disgraced Vietnam veteran, and Glen’s grandfather, Eamon. The book as a whole presents an authentic world and a lovely, poignant story that is immensely enjoyable.
– International Rubery Book Award
In The Shadow Of War by Patrick M. Garry is an interesting literary fiction novel set against the backdrop of a small community and people dealing with the painful effects of war. It wasn’t until the death of his brother that eighteen-year-old Glen Kinsella realized how much he had loved his mentally handicapped sibling. Now he is torn up inside by a debilitating sense of guilt, unable to forgive himself for lost opportunities to show Ricky more love. He and Ricky had always visited the almost deserted village called Corcoran and those visits had been much loved by the residents, mostly composed of women, because the men had gone off to fight in the Vietnam War. Visiting Corcoran with his father to rebuild what they have there felt so idyllic until a disgraced war vet returns with disturbing secrets about the husband of one of the women. The small town is pulled into a whirlpool of political controversy with one woman at its center. Can this distract Glen from his sense of guilt?
Bold and riveting, In The Shadow Of War captures the images of small-town life and the effects of the Vietnam War on that small community while exploring the pain of loss and guilt experienced by a young protagonist. The writing is done in a deft and steady hand, the plot so beautifully imagined and accomplished with unusual skill. Patrick M. Garry writes about the moral and psychological pain of a young man and succeeds in getting readers to feel every emotion with him. Themes of family, social issues, and war are expertly written into the story. In The Shadow Of War is fast-paced and hugely entertaining, a real treat for fans of literary fiction with a solid historical setting.
-Readers’ Favorite
This book set in the Vietnam Era reads easily and immediately puts the reader in the small midwestern town of Corcoran. Although there was tension in the plot, the geographical setting and the honest voices of the characters made it such a peaceful read. Garry’s characters are sensitive and romantic oddballs during a dysfunctional time of history—people caring so deeply about each other while all along discovering so much about themselves. He does a great job of expressing their feelings with whom the reader can both understand and relate. As we read this book, some of us found ourselves looking at the clock hoping it was late enough to “turn in for the night” and read this book.
-Greenville Book Club
Methodically and surely, this closely observed and described novel captures the cadence and aspirations of characters set in a small mid-America town as they cope with the town’s uncertain prospects of any revival or growth while beset by growing protests over the Vietnam war. The bonds of love between brothers, one of whom has a developmental disability, and a tender but tragic romance, are especially affecting. The impact of the Vietnam war is further rendered by the arrival of Vietnam veterans, including a disgraced one. The characters are distinctive and easily envisioned. The first person writing is adept and carries the story forward; the dialogue is quite credible and enriches the scenes. The description of the town itself, and its general aura, is done very deftly and with a great tinge of Americana. –Writer’s Digest Book Awards
On recommended reading list in Dakota County Library: Wescott Branch Library, Eagan, MN.
“Patrick M. Garry’s first published novel, In the Shadow of War, chronicles Glen’s summer following his high school graduation. The year was 1970. The location was his grandfather’s “blinker” town (“If you blink as you’re driving along the highway, you miss them”): Corcoran, population – six. Although Glen had spent his summers in Corcoran since the age of nine, this was the first summer he went without Ricky. For both Glen and his grandfather, it was a summer of hope. And acceptance. And maybe even forgiveness.”
“In the Shadow of War highlights what Garry does best as a novelist: pulling together an unlikely cast of characters with quirks and foibles and creating a sense of community among them. His characters show the full spectrum of what it means to be human and in its truth, his world of misfits is more appealing than any magazine picture or movie.”
“Garry’s stripping of humanity down to the emotional basics is complemented by his poignant prose evoking a simpler time and place. Chapter titles and unique observations displayed in comparison and simile usage add to the reminiscent quality of the narrative. Garry’s writing is both tender and sensitive while displaying a wry sense of humor… In the Shadow of War is an engaging and thought-provoking read that will leave you with a renewed compassion for the people in your own life, including yourself.
– Midwest Book Reviews
“I loved this novel, and stayed up til 1a.m. to finish it.”
-Frank DeMarco, Chief Editor, Hampton Roads Publishing, Co.
In the Shadow of War is a very intriguing story with solid characters.
-Jon Hassler, Novelist
The writing is sophisticated and conveys this author’s understanding of the ways of the heart, and his compassion for the human experience with all of its ups and downs. Patrick Garry paints a vivid portrait of American small town life, and the plot has a unique premise and is well executed.
–Writer’s Digest, International Book Awards
I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for a true and honest review. The story centers around a group of individuals that deal with causalities of war. I am a Navy veteran, so I found the story very moving. The characters are true and real. Dynamic development. Relatable. In some instances, I saw myself in the story. I read the story in one sitting. I couldn’t put the book down. If you enjoy war stories with real situations, and the life that comes with veterans then you should pick up this book.
–-The Writer’s Alley
Literary Awards
2019 TopShelf Magazine Book Award
Top Ten Finalist, Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Award
Winner, Independent Press Award
Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Finalist
NABE Pinacle Book Achievement Award
Somerset Literary Award
Rubery Book Award (England)
Book Excellence Award (Canada)
CIPA Evvy Award
Readers Choice Award Nominee
Indie Excellence Award
Next Generation Book Award
American Fiction Award
Royal Dragonfly Book Award
New York City Big Book Award
Beverly Hills Book Award
Gold Prize, Literary Classics Book Awards
