The wounds of war

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This article was published 16/03/2024 (569 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bestselling historical fiction maven Kristin Hannah returns with The Women, a stark and stunning ode to the female heroes who served unnoticed and unacknowledged during the Vietnam War, a story decades-long in the making.

Frances “Frankie” McGrath always knew the path laid out for her by her affluent, conservative parents: nursing school, marriage, babies. Whereas her older brother and best friend, Finley, would follow the expectations of McGrath men: he would serve his country in the military and become a war hero. Both McGrath children dutifully obey, Frankie graduating as a nurse right as Finley goes to Vietnam.

It isn’t until her brother’s friend points out that “women can be heroes” that Frankie considers another direction for her life — one that would make her parents just as proud of her as they are of Finley. Inspired, Frankie joins the Army as a combat nurse, but her decision is met with embarrassment and rebuke rather than pride.

Regardless, Frankie moves forward with her decision and trains to go to Vietnam. Optimistic and idealistic, she’s rudely awakened by what she finds when she lands in country. From navigating a bombing on arrival to realizing she has none of the necessary skills to keep the wounded alive, Frankie comes to learn that she, and the thousands of soldiers serving in Vietnam, are woefully and terminally unprepared to survive the conflict.

Taken under the wing of her bunkmates, fellow nurses Barb and Ethel, Frankie works hard, becoming a sought-after surgical nurse. While the staggering loss of life is horrific, constantly threatening to overwhelm them, the three nurses form an unbreakable bond of friendship and hold one another up.

Eventually, Ethel, then Barb and finally Frankie finish their tours, returning home. But home doesn’t feel welcoming, and Frankie struggles to find both purpose and peace in her post-war life.

And while the government, her parents, the media and her community are happy to forget the war ever happened, Frankie does nothing but remember — she’s continually plagued by nightmares and haunted by friends and lovers lost to the conflict. Though she does her best to cope with what is undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, a new term for the often-debilitating symptoms suffered by war vets, it’s her enduring friendship with Barb and Ethel that lift her out of the shadows again and again.

Any one of Hannah’s past novels could also have been called The Women — she has a special talent for covering women’s perspectives in otherwise male-dominated historical accounts, particularly war stories. She masterfully centres women’s voices to remind us that, despite often going unacknowledged by historical record, women were there and played key roles.

What makes the title so apt for this tribute to the many women who served in Vietnam is its direct rebellion against the U.S. government’s propaganda of the time. By denying and ignoring the fact that women were, in fact, in Vietnam, the government and the public also denied these women the supports and recognition they so deserved. With The Women, Hannah corrects the narrative.

A raw and visceral examination of the human cost of war, The Women faces suffering with unflinching and heartbreaking detail. From early on, the trauma Frankie experiences cuts like a knife, leaving a gaping soul wound.

And yet, The Women is ultimately a story of hope and love — the hope that is found in healing and the love that is found in friendship. A tear-jerker through and through, Hannah’s latest is a profound interpretation of finding beauty in the broken while honouring the memory of the real women history forgot.

Katrina Sklepowich is a professional book lover who runs a blog at LiterallyKatrina.com when she isn’t working as a communicator at RRC Polytech.