Book Review: Untitled by Jesseca Wheaton

 

Okinawa, 1945

Two brothers. Two Separate Paths.

A Navy corpsman assigned to the Marines, Jess Walker’s world is shaken as he struggles to aid the men around him. But the battlefield isn’t his hardest challenge. The nagging memory of how he lost his brother weighs on him, serving as a constant reminder of his failure. War has no mercy for anyone and Jess isn’t sure he can survive the war inside. As his world comes crashing down around him, he struggles to believe there is a future beyond the pain.

Clay Walker has moved on from the life he once lived. A successful Marine pilot, he wants nothing to do with his family and the God he left behind. Japan is on the brink of surrender when his unit is shipped off to Okinawa, and it’s there that Clay is forced to realize his past is not as deeply buried as he thought. Faced with heavy losses and questions without answers, Clay has a choice to make. Is he willing to step back and let God take the controls? Or is it too late for a second chance?

As WWII rages, the two brothers must face their demons — or be lost to the burning world around them.

GOODREADS

My rating:

Untitled isn't a normal novella.

I'd heard that it was heartbreaking and thought-provoking, but I suppose I was expecting a book like Jesseca's others.

It wasn't.

For once, this isn't going to be a fangirl-y review where I scream about everything in this book. I don't know how to describe it, really. Being close friends with the author gave me inside information (membership has its privileges, ya know) about the book's plot and themes. I knew they were going to be heavy. I knew Untitled was going to hit hard.

I read it almost completely in one sitting; while my fam watched a movie, my eyes were glued to my Kindle.

The book isn't one that had me sitting on the edge of my seat from page one. In fact, it's pretty slow-paced. But to read about Jess and Clay's struggles...wow. Regrets. Bitterness.

Jess was my favorite. His faith, his relationship with his fellow corpsmen, his very personality made me smile. (That date? Loved it. *grins*) The way the others looked to his quiet meekness and saw him as someone to talk to led to conversation topics that many of us would avoid was inspiring, and I loved the way Ms. Wheaton tackled them. Homosexuality from a Christian standpoint is not something that people like to talk about—it's uncomfortable and unsettling—and I so appreciated the way it was handled.

Clay. *sigh* Ohhh, Clay. Trying so, so hard, but not quite succeeding. The younger brother determined to make his own way in the world and prove himself. I seriously loved this dude. (and Ivan. Can't forget Ivan.)

Okay. Um. Wow.

This review is honestly really hard to write, haha! I don't know if it's because I just didn't pay enough attention to the book as I read it...but I think it's more because of the way I'm still thinking about it, two days later, and will still probably thinking about it tomorrow. And the next day.

War is horrifying. Seriously. I've always known it. But like...I've read books about war before, and they're heartbreaking. But nothing had made me realize this as much as Untitled has. I could hear the shells exploding. Ears ringing. Men screaming out of pain and fear. Grime coating every surface. Medics not bothering to wash their hands because it wouldn't do any good. Smoke filling the air. Shrapnel flying. Bodies littering the ground.

War is mind-numbingly petrifying.

And no one, no one comes home unaffected.

The ending...wow. It was achingly bittersweet. It made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

The author herself puts a note to the readers at the beginning of the book that it's not for younger readers, and she's right. It's not for people who are sensitive. Yet it has a message that everyone needs to hear.

*I received an e-copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. All thoughts are my own.

On that bright note, THIS BABY IS RELEASING IN JUST A FEW DAYS (November 11, to be exact) AND I'M SOSOSOSO EXCITED FOR IT.

The tour is being hosted by my lovely friend Angela Watts, and there's plenty of blogs joining in the tour—so go check it out! (Also there's a giveaway running, so that's another reason to visit Angela's blog)

About the author:

Jesseca is a daughter, sister, and a child of God. When she’s not busy at her full time job as a first responder, her days are spent reading, spending time with siblings, watching movies that make her cry, and playing piano. Oh, and writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.

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If you haven't read Untitled yet, definitely go do so! You won't regret it.