Hannah brings us a narrative of the Vietnam War from an unlikely perspective. The story feels well researched with the author noting at the end that she read first-hand accounts from women who served in their own capacities. I had some initial reservations that the narrative might skew too much in toward “patriotism” but I think that she did really well to address the political realities of the situation. On top of the obvious themes of war and geopolitics, I think it does a good job exploring the themes of loss, trauma, addiction, and persistence. I think the spotlight on the VA and general medical system’s shortcomings in treating war veterans is impactful and unfortunately still relevant

I think that the strain we see in Frankie’s relationship with her parents gives some good insight in the generational disconnect of the people who grew up during the silent generation vs the people that grew up during the baby boomer years. I also really loved the final full circle moment with the ending at the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial. Which ICYMI: it was designed by Asian-American architect Maya Lin :)