Synopses & Reviews
In her bestselling novels Kristin Hannah has plumbed the depths of friendship, the loyalty of sisters, and the secrets mothers keep. Now, in her most emotionally powerful story yet, she explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war.
All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . .
Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life---children, careers, bills, chores---even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harms way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own---for everything that matters to his family.
At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope.
Review
“Hannah masterfully details the unraveling of a family.” —Associated Press on
Night Road“Kristin Hannah is back in top form with…Night Road. The novel grips the reader from the
first appearance of despondent 14-year-old Lexi Baill…[and] will hook Hannah fans from start
to suspenseful finish.” —Washington Post
“Night Road is a do-not-miss for fans of Jodi Picoult and will stay with you long after youve
turned the last page.” —Justine Magazine “[A] rich, multilayered reading experience, and…an easy recommendation for book clubs.”
—Library Journal, *starred review on Night Road “Hannahs latest is a moving and realistic portrait of a complex and enduring friendship.”
—Booklist on Firefly Lane “[Hannah] really knows what women-her characters and her audience-want.”
—Publishers Weekly on True Colors
“This terrific buddy saga about two best girlfriends who survive all sorts of escapades and
catastrophes will inevitably provoke comparisons with Iris Darts ‘Beaches, but the story is
all Hannahs own.”
—The Seattle Times on Firefly Lane
“You cannot read Night Road and not be affected by the story and the characters. The total impact of the book will stay with you for days to come after it is finished.”
—Newark Star-Ledger
Review
“Kristin Hannahs Home Front, read with fine emotional nuance by Maggi-Meg Reed, is the kind of novel that grabs your heart as it draws you in…Keep the Kleenex close, and breathe through the lumps in your throat.” - Booklist
Review
“Kristin Hannahs Home Front, read with fine emotional nuance by Maggi-Meg Reed, is the kind of novel that grabs your heart as it draws you in…Keep the Kleenex close, and breathe through the lumps in your throat.” - Booklist
“The novels second half, a moving exploration of the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on an already shaky family dynamic, is especially well read by Maggi-Meg Reed, who inhabits all the voices and characters with skill and heartfelt emotion. A timely book that is highly recommended for all audiences.” - Library Journal, Starred Review
Synopsis
The blockbuster bestselling author of Night Road and Firefly Lane delivers a masterful novel that explores the sacrifices of one American family and illuminates the true cost of honor, duty, and love
From a distance, Michael and Joleen Zarkades seem to have it all: a solid marriage, two exciting careers, and children they adore. But after twelve years together, the couple has lost their way; they are unhappy and edging toward divorce. Then the Iraq war starts. An unexpected deployment will tear their already fragile family apart, sending one of them deep into harms way and leaving the other at home, waiting for news. When the worst happens, each must face their darkest fear and fight for the future of their family. An intimate look at the inner landscape of a disintegrating marriage and a dramatic exploration of the price of war on a single American family, Kristin Hannah's HOME FRONT is a provocative and timely portrait of hope, honor, loss, forgiveness, and the elusive nature of love.
About the Author
Kristin Hannah is the New York Times bestselling author of novels including Night Road, Firefly Lane, True Colors and Winter Garden. She was born in Southern California and moved to Western Washington when she was eight. A former lawyer, Hannah started writing when she was pregnant and on bed rest for five months. Writing soon became an obsession, and she has been at it ever since. She is the mother of one son and lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.
Reading Group Guide
1. In the prologue of
Home Front, we see Jolenes early life and the incident that leads up to her parents deaths. How does this scene lay the groundwork for her personality and her choices in the remainder of the book?
2. When Michael says, “I dont love you anymore,” he wonders fleetingly if hed said the words so that Jolene would fall apart or cry or say that she was in love with him. What does this internal question reveal about Michael? About Jolene?
3. When Jolene learns of her deployment, she is conflicted. She thinks that she wants to go (to war), but that she doesnt want to leave (her family). Can you understand the dichotomy she is experiencing? Discuss a mothers deployment and what it means from all angles—honor, love, commitment, abandonment. Can you understand a soldier/mothers duty? Do you think its harder for a mother to leave than a father? Is there a double standard?
4. Jolene and Michaels twelve-year marriage is on the rocks when the novel begins. Did you blame both of them equally for the problems in their relationship? Did your assignment of blame change over the course of the novel?
5. Jolene worries that Betsy will see her deployment as abandonment. Do you agree with this? Think of yourself at Betsy and Seths age: how would your twelve-year-old self have reacted to your mother going off to war?
6. When Michael sees Jolene for the first time in Germany, he is so overwhelmed by the magnitude of her injuries that he cant be strong for her. He reveals both pity and revulsion. Discuss his reaction. How do you think you would handle a similar situation?
7. At home, Jolene cant cope with her new life. She cant reconcile the woman she used to be with the woman she has become. She wonders how it could be harder to return from war than to fight in it. What does she mean by this? A soldier gets a lot of training and preparation before going to war. Should there be more preparation for returning home?
8. Early in Jolenes homecoming, Mila says: “We all knew how hard it would be to have you gone, but no one told us how hard it would be when you came back.” What do you think about this comment? Do we romanticize homecomings and thereby somehow set ourselves up for disappointment? What could her family have done to make Jolenes return an easier transition?
9. At the beginning of her physical therapy, Jolene asks Conny how she is supposed to forget about her injury if it keeps hurting. What does this question reveal about Jolenes personality and her attitude toward her injury? How does this attitude hinder her recovery? How does it help her?
10. Dr. Cornflower describes Jolene as a woman who has spent a lifetime in the Army getting what she wants from a system that doesnt want to give it to her. What does he mean by this? Do you agree? How is a womans career in the military different from any other career? How is it similar?
11. During the Keller trial, Michael turns in the middle of his opening address to look at Jolene. Why did he choose this very public forum as the time to address the Iraq War with his wife?
12. Although the dire effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are as timeless as war itself, the counseling and support services provided to military men and women returning from war are often insufficient, and the public is often ill-informed about the vast consequences of the disorder. What did you already know about the disorder, and what insights did you gain from reading Home Front?
13. Discuss the various relationships formed between parent and child, from Michaels relationship with his daughters and his grief for his father to Jolenes relationship with Mila. Which struck the most resounding chord for you? Why?
14. On page 175, Jolene thinks about the word “heroes” and all that it means in the shadow of loss. For her, heroes were her fallen comrades. What is the definition of a hero to you? Who is one of your own heroes? How do our heroes reflect our values?
15. This book explores a lot of dramatic situations and powerful emotions. Has reading it changed you in any way? What was the most important thing you learned in reading this book? Who would you like to recommend the book to and why?