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Enjoying a middle-class lifestyle much better than many of their peers, the Washington family still suffered the racism African Americans felt in the 1940s. The parents of Ellwood and Norbert Washington taught their sons honor and discipline and pushed them to pursue their goals. However, the boys' lives became more difficult when their father passed from a heart attack while the brothers were still in school. Norbert became very despondent and lost interest in almost everything. Ellwood decided to join the military to honor the values his father taught him. As a paratrooper in the Korean War, Elwood would lead a secret mission to rescue a captured Korean informant codenamed "Threshold." That fateful mission, and its secrets, would impact the Washington family for decades.
Garvey and Weaver have produced a solid work of engaging fiction. The writing is clear and illustrates that these are professional authors comfortable with their craft. The plot is interesting and compelling and pulls in the reader effectively. The story is only held back where the sense of place is sometimes lost in an academic presentation of the novel's historical background and where circumstances and characters too often seem to overcome obstacles unrealistically. In all other aspects, this is a fine and captivating novel. It will appeal to a wide range of readers, but those interested in wartime history and race relations may find this particularly appealing. In addition, most readers who love stories about everyday people whose lives have been devastated by tragic events and how they struggle to rise above those circumstances will find the story touching and inspiring.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review