Kathy Buchko's Reviews > Beneath the Swaying Willow

WOW, this was an awesome debut novel by a local South Florida author whom I hope to meet to discuss her book! Inspired by true events about her father's struggle with PTSD after serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, and the sacrifices suffered by her mother's love and devotion to him, Amily D'Nas has written a passionate story of a painful time in our nation's history, and her attention to detail and character development prove she's got the literary prowess of the likes of Kristin Hannah and Jodi Picoult.

The 'love triangle' between Nora, Russ and Brant was a sad but not uncommon result of the war, when men are away from their wives and girlfriends for sometimes years at a time. The story also touched on the almost non-existent acknowledgement of the Vietnam vets as they returned to the states. There were no "Welcome Home" parades, they were called "baby killers", denied jobs and even denied access to veteran's benefits because they were told Vietnam was not a 'real war.'

Only one scene had me doubting reality: Nora seemed to enjoy losing her virginity at night on the beach on a blanket in the sand. I can't speak for other women, but I certainly wouldn't feel romantic with sand on certain naked body parts..........

All in all, I was quite impressed with this novel, and appreciate the author telling this difficult story that I will encourage all Americans to read.