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brookesbooks_and_dogs 's review for:
The Right Side
by Spencer Quinn
Despite the cover image and many descriptions of this book, it is not about a woman and her dog. It is about a woman trying to find herself and a purpose in life after a devastating incident in Afghanistan which caused her to lose her eye and resulted in the deaths of several of her colleagues. Disappointingly, the dog does not appear until 50% of the way through the story.
Brief Summary: Army Sergeant LeAnne Hogan is in Walter Reed Medical Center following a failed mission in Afghanistan where most of her command died and where she lost her right eye and suffered gruesome injuries to her face. LeAnne protests psychiatric treatment and a prosthetic eye, struggles to remember what happened in Afghanistan and in the weeks after. She forms a close bond with her hospital roommate Marci, who has had her leg amputated. The two women try to cope with life after the Army and with PTSD. Marci dues suddenly due to a blood clot, and LeAnne leaves Walter Reed against medical advice. She heads west - towards her former home, and Marci's. Eventually she finds a dog - or the dog finds her - and the healing process begins.
What I Liked: I liked the dog, whom is eventually called Goody. Unfortunately she does not appear until the halfway point. Until then, the reader gets to know LeAnne in the present as a woman who is hurting emotionally and physically, and in the past as a great athlete and girl with ambition and a scholarship to West Point. Goody and LeAnne have a lot/hate relationship at first, but Goody comes to serve as LeAnne's protector and confidant. I enjoyed seeing this relationship grow. In the last 1/3 of the book, LeAnne helps Marci's daughter and in some way completes a final mission; this did seem meaningful and wrapped up the story nicely.
What I Didn't Like: I didn't really like LeAnne! I didn't connect with her, although I definitely had empathy for everything she has been through. She seemed pretty unlikeable to me, and I never found any of her choices or behaviors redeeming.
Final Thoughts: the narrative seemed disjointed to me and I wasn't sure where the author was headed with LeAnne's story. I feel misled that the story would be about a veteran and her service-type dog.
* I was able to read this book courtesy of the publisher. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to read the book and write an honest review.
Brief Summary: Army Sergeant LeAnne Hogan is in Walter Reed Medical Center following a failed mission in Afghanistan where most of her command died and where she lost her right eye and suffered gruesome injuries to her face. LeAnne protests psychiatric treatment and a prosthetic eye, struggles to remember what happened in Afghanistan and in the weeks after. She forms a close bond with her hospital roommate Marci, who has had her leg amputated. The two women try to cope with life after the Army and with PTSD. Marci dues suddenly due to a blood clot, and LeAnne leaves Walter Reed against medical advice. She heads west - towards her former home, and Marci's. Eventually she finds a dog - or the dog finds her - and the healing process begins.
What I Liked: I liked the dog, whom is eventually called Goody. Unfortunately she does not appear until the halfway point. Until then, the reader gets to know LeAnne in the present as a woman who is hurting emotionally and physically, and in the past as a great athlete and girl with ambition and a scholarship to West Point. Goody and LeAnne have a lot/hate relationship at first, but Goody comes to serve as LeAnne's protector and confidant. I enjoyed seeing this relationship grow. In the last 1/3 of the book, LeAnne helps Marci's daughter and in some way completes a final mission; this did seem meaningful and wrapped up the story nicely.
What I Didn't Like: I didn't really like LeAnne! I didn't connect with her, although I definitely had empathy for everything she has been through. She seemed pretty unlikeable to me, and I never found any of her choices or behaviors redeeming.
Final Thoughts: the narrative seemed disjointed to me and I wasn't sure where the author was headed with LeAnne's story. I feel misled that the story would be about a veteran and her service-type dog.
* I was able to read this book courtesy of the publisher. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to read the book and write an honest review.