What Have We Done

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Tom gives a fleeting smile with that row of too-white teeth on his too-tan face. He’s like an old house with too many layers of paint. He takes a deep breath. “That’s just it, man. We’re not kids anymore.” At the outset, stop defining veterans in terms of PTSD and 22 suicides a day. Recognize that it is all of us suffer moral injuries, not just those who served in the wars. Healing does not begin with pity. Three of them survive and they realize somebody is after them! Somebody is out there to avenge! But who? Why!

He’s never been so happy to see rats. Scurrying, dirty, disgusting varmints that will unquestionably tear his flesh down to the bone if he dies. But for now, they’re a welcome sight: They’re alive. There’s still oxygen. We follow them as they start to reconnect and put together what is happening to them, all while on the run, trying to stay two steps ahead from their would-be killers. To say I really liked it (4-star) or was amazing (5 star) does not give justice or solutions to the dilemma. I have treated it as an awareness book. Read it or read about the results of war and listen. We have all heard of PTSD, but the author makes a convincing case that much more is going on, he calls this “moral injury”. In a sense PTSD is a subset of moral injury. Perhaps the greatest damage of war is depriving them of their autonomy when they sign up, pledging absolute and unquestioning obedience.I have time. I need to make sure my girls get the most important meal of the day.” He pushes his glasses up on his nose. For most women, the nerdy tax lawyer wouldn’t elicit the rush of whatever chemical or emotion crowding Jenna’s chest. But this boring numbers man, white-bread as they come, fills that part of Jenna that was empty for so long. She knows they’re an odd match. She catches the looks, the whispers, that she must be in it for the money, the gossipers not realizing that Simon isn’t exactly Bill Gates, even if he resembles him. In fact, Jenna’s numbered Swiss account dwarfs their modest savings and Simon’s 401(k).

Another lightning bolt to the chest. It’s the young woman from the bus stop. The woman steps gracefully onto the floor and shoves a duffel bag into Jenna’s hands. Unsurprisingly, through the hardship, they bonded. They were best friends. Their bond took on an even more ominous tone, however, after a particularly traumatic incident occurred in which they all played a part.Artie: a tech billionaire who was a big nerd and spent lots of time at a neighbor's house doing computers as a kid Donnie rushes into the ship’s performance hall and is greeted by several exasperated expressions, the most prominent from their singer, Tom Kipling. Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Arty, and Ben were the best of friends, a bond forged as residents of Savior House, an abusive group home for wayward teens. When the home was shut down―after the disappearance of several residents―the group was disbanded. How badly you wanted another story featuring Special Agent Sarah Keller from Finlay’s last two books. I’m going to rip that bandaid off … she’s not in it. Sorry.

I really enjoyed Finlay's first two books, especially The Night Shift, but this one was a miss. That said, I still look forward to reading whatever he comes up with next, but sure AF hope it's better than this one. I heard What Have We Done is different from Finlay's other works. It was. I thought since I didn't love the previous two novels (rated 3 stars for both), this will be a winner for me. Wrong. The author talked about how put-off he was by a combat vet telling him he couldn't understand, because the author believed we all are able to relate to moral injury. (I tried finding this in the book after finishing the book but couldn't find the exact location. So I'm rewording as best as I recall.) Later in the book, he writes about helping vets heal by having civilians listen to their stories, but training them not to say "I understand." Because you can't. And some vets only want to talk to other vets. Don't fault them for that. Let them find their own way to heal. Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live accomplished–if troubled–lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.

Reviews

He gives an example of Lance Corporal, Nik Rudolph who in his mind replays the action of kill or do not kill-- the act of killing is not healed. it does not gradually fade away. "it will all be there." Nico- executive producer for a reality show about mining, has a gambling problem and is indebted to a ruthless Irish mob boss

It is not my favorite of Alex Finlay's after loving Every Last Fear and Night Shift, but it does keep you engaged and interested. Some could be seen as OTT, but I loved the secret assassin life of the housewife. She is upfront with her husband that she is like the movie character Nikita, which adds some strong scenes to it. I wish I could give it 5 stars, but my mind just does not want me to on the basis of how clinical it all makes the process seem. "Moral injuries" should now be listed with TBI/PTSD and I have had many that will never heal. I want them to find a way to fix this, but I know they cannot so it is up to me. Her downcast expression is the worst. One thousand percent pity. He’s been sober for three months, the longest stretch in a decade. But then he got word last night about Ben. The closest thing he had to a brother. Then he ran into that aging groupie—the one with the same bleached hair she probably had when she raised a lighter to their hit power ballad two decades ago.I read and loved both Every Last Fear and The Night Shiftby this author. But this one just didn't do it for me, it didn't even feel like Alex Finlay wrote it. I am used to his books being more on the mystery/suspense side of things and this title was more like an action movie. At the top of a knoll through a break in the trees, five teenagers stand at the edge of a shallow grave. A light rain falls, thunder rumbles in the night sky.