Wounded by Eric Walters Book Review

Journal Entry #1
Wounded by Eric Walters

October 16, 2016

Dear           ,

        Marcus and his sister and mother are anxiously counting down the days until Marcus’s father returns home from Afghanistan. The lack of communication from his father has caused a time of difficulty for the family. When the day of his arrival finally comes, they are overwhelmed with happiness and sudden relief. Although as days go by, Marcus realizes that his father seems out of the ordinary. He is jumpy, aggressive at times and preoccupied with the news of Afghanistan. Marcus knows that a handful of soldiers are affected by post-traumatic stress. He however finds it hard to believe that his father needs help.

        The storyline of this novel includes multiple conflicts. The protagonist Marcus struggles to help his girlfriend Courtney move past her father’s death. Moving along, Marcus is struggling with himself. He becomes the man of the family, during the absence of his father. The responsibility that comes along with it was difficult for him to juggle. Lastly, one can think of a main conflict being when Marcus’s dad is having a hard time adapting back to his normal life.

Marcus is the narrator, since everything happens from his perspective. The voice is effective because “Wounded” did a good job of showing the struggles of a military family. Yet it would have been wonderful to know what Marcus’s father was thinking throughout the novel. Since, he did not like to discuss his thoughts and the events that occurred in Afghanistan, with his family. However, I do not prefer a different voice. Marcus is someone I could easily understand. Overall, I would not change a thing in this book.  Wounded is intriguing and is another great book, by Eric Walters.

Thank you for your time. Hope you have a great day!