Jammy and Sonny McGann are brothers. When Jammy returns from Afghanistan a very different man to the one who left, Sonny is left to hold things together.
When Heroic arrived at work I knew I had to read it. Army life is something that really interests me, mainly because I have a Dad that was in the Army. I don't know a huge amount about his time there but I've always been fascinated by the lifestyle and protocol. So it's always seemed strange to me that these young men go off to fight for their country, witness some truly devastating things and are then expected to come home on leave and just get on with life, the everyday things, like everything is 'normal'.
This is the theme explored in Heroic - PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's something I still think we don't know enough about. Phil Earle has managed to write about an emotive subject with the sensitivity and courage it deserves. Jammy and Sonny really do go through the emotional wringer, and you're there with them all the way.
It's gritty, raw and emotional but it's also life-affirming and very good. Ultimately it's a story of brotherhood and of coming out the other side.
Stick it on the curriculum, I say!
Read by Kate
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