A Memory Between Us

This review is tough for me to write. There were pieces of the story I enjoyed, such as the spiritual journeys of defeating pride and gaining trust in the Lord. Yet, there were many more things that I disliked and cannot support. Those aspects overshadowed the majority of this story for me, dropping my rating by a couple of stars.

The sexual content was thick in this one. It made me uncomfortable at times, was awkward at others, and was dispersed throughout the entirety of the story. It included innuendos, groping, rape, and crude comments. Kissing was a main and heavy theme, including its being a main goal for one of the lead characters. A joke about cross-dressing seemed out of place within the genre of Christian fiction to me.

Many times, bad language came into play. While there were no profanities that I noticed, there were at least two expletives, one expletive phrase, and another three or so cut off expletive phrases (which still inserted the bad words into my mind). Three derogatory terms about a woman were also present. Beyond that, there were many instances of replacement expletives, which seemed to be used in order to thicken the book and grunge up the dialogue. They came in little bursts from a character who otherwise did not use them. I failed to see what motivated him to do so in those instances or why he would break his own character and moral standards to use such vile word choices.

Other things that did not necessarily affect my rating: tobacco products, pubs and alcohol, and missing commas in direct address.

The featured topics of pride and trust were handled expertly. They came on subtly at first, then built up through the experiences in the story, cresting with the climactic trial for each of the lead characters. Those journeys were amazing to read about. I felt fully immersed in the leads' struggles, as if I were living them out alongside Ruth and Jack.

One major plot point was completely predictable to me, as I saw it coming from the moment it was stated to be impossible. That did not cloak that moment at all for me, but I thought the way the twist was revealed was precious, mostly for the reactions of the other characters involved than the one whose fate was easily foreseen. The feelings those characters went through at that big reveal moment were pure, authentic, and completely believable. I only wish the “surprise” had been more cleverly disguised so that I could have been shocked into tears over it.

I loved the military aspects of the story. So rich in detail, they added an incredible amount of atmosphere to this adventure. I appreciated the glimpse into what it might have been like to serve as a pilot or nurse in the Army Air Forces during World War II. From the training and sexual abuse that nurses might have encountered to the below-freezing temperatures and mishaps in flight the pilots and crew must have endured at times, it seemed a little bit of everything was blended together fairly well to create a solid look into the past.

Though this series has not been one of my favorites, I can see how others may find it especially satisfying and entertaining. Several of my dear friends have enjoyed it, as I'm sure many other readers will too.

I was not compensated for my honest review.