Indivisible

“Indivisible is a heart-wrenchingly sad, all too real portrayal of lives defined and forever changed by war. With close to 20 million veterans in the US alone, Charlie’s and Wes’s experience is certainly pertinent and possibly reflected in many lives. Author Julia Camp has written a heart-rending story of loss and grief that any reader can readily identify with. Wes and Charlie could be any one of us; our brothers, our sons or even ourselves. We can all readily identify with these young men; full of bravado and success as young men, who go to war and come back profoundly broken and changed. For me, the most telling line in the book was when Charlie admitted in a moment of introspection that he was literally terrified every second of every day he was in Afghanistan. This is the reality of war on us average human beings, those that have to fulfill the lofty ideals and grandiose schemes of politicians and generals. The author did a fantastic job of conveying this insight to her readers. It is a testament to the author’s ability that she was able to draw Charlie simultaneously as a character that we sympathized and empathized with but also got extremely annoyed with and wanted, at times, to just grab by the collar and tell him to ‘snap out of it.’ It was perhaps Charlie’s sister that best epitomized the unending love, support, guidance and occasional dose of tough love that Charlie needed to guide him through this incredibly difficult period of his life. This story is a real eye-opener into the psyche of returning veterans and one I enjoyed tremendously. I can highly recommend this book.”

“Indivisible is emotional yet very inviting. Charlie’s character is relatable; he is the kind of character you empathize with. His emotions are running high from the moment the story opens, and you can feel his pain. Julia Camp does a great job of conveying the desperation and helplessness Charlie feels. He feels disconnected from the world, from Sarah, and himself. His PTSD catches up to him, and his issues are fueled by the death of his best friend. The narrative is simple yet perfect for the story. The author allows the reader to feel like a part of the story and easily picture what is happening. The mystery behind Wes’s death and Charlie’s journey to come to grips with why his friend takes his life resonates with readers. This was the catharsis that he badly needed to move on. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good, heartfelt story.”

“Indivisible by Julia Camp is a serious book. You know a book is serious when there’s a suicide on page two and when tears are streaming down your cheeks on page three. ... All war veterans deserve our respect and often our sympathy, but this book helps us see and especially feel why. ... Like all great works of art—Hamlet, say—there are no answers. Great works leave us with questions, not resolutions. They don’t satisfy; they provoke. They change us. Indivisible has left me with all those questions I thought I’d solved long ago. It’s a serious thing to ask those questions, and Indivisible is a serious book.”