Revenants: The Odyssey Home

Revenants: The Odyssey Home by Scott Kauffman

Publisher: Moonshine Cove Publishing LLC

Published: December 15th, 2015

Rating: 4/5

Summary: ONLY BETSY CAN GET HIM HOME IN TIME; ONLY HE CAN BRING HER BACK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.
A grief-stricken candy-striper serving in a VA hospital following her brother’s death in Viet Nam struggles to return home an anonymous veteran of the Great War against the skullduggery of a congressman who not only controls the hospital as part of his small-town fiefdom but knows the name of her veteran. A name if revealed would end his political ambitions and his fifty-year marriage. In its retelling of Odysseus’ journey, Revenants casts a flickering candle upon the charon toll exacted not only from the families of those who fail to return home but of those who do.

I received this paperback copy for copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was interesting and very sad in some moments. You follow Betsy as she deals with the aftermath of losing her brother in the Vietnam War. You read about her heartbreak and sorrow, but it was very relevant and important to me anyways. I thought it was very interesting to read about Betsy and her string of bad decisions she makes afterwards.

Betsy ends up going into candy stripping at the hospital and she ends up making friends with some of the soldiers there. I liked seeing her interaction with them. They were all interesting people to read about. She also finds a solider in the attic being hidden from the world.

And that leads her on a mystery to uncover with a young reporter, and her younger brother.

I thought that part of the plot was super interesting! It lead you on so many twists and turns I didn’t expect that! I think that was my favorite part of the novel to be honest. I love a good mystery and this mystery with the unknown solider was different and mysterious.

I thought it was great that part of the story focused on this mystery, and another focused on Betsy and her quest to find healing after her brother is killed.

But I liked her relationship that developed with the mysterious soldier, they both gained something from each other and I felt it helped them both. I admired her need to help him, and help the other soldiers at the hospital; after thinking how it could have been her brother in their shoes.

For those that want to know, this book wasn’t an easy read. It really wasn’t. It’s not that it was a boring book so it was slow. I mean it was emotional and heavy, you really had to get past all the heartache to reach the end. But it’s something I really recommend to everyone to at least try. I read a few books that I would consider heavy, so I was prepared for this, even though it hit me hard. Especially because my dad was in the military, and my uncle was in Vietnam as well.

But overall this was as very powerful, and interesting novel. I enjoyed the writing, the storyline, the characters and the mystery. Highly recommend this book even though it was really sad. It’s something I feel like everyone will enjoy.