The author skillfully divides the story into three main sections to parallel the stages a boy goes through in his journey toward becoming a man. In the stage of “Awareness,”  12-year-old Patrick takes his first step toward manhood when hunting with his father and uncle, he kills his first deer. I was struck by the ritualism involved in this event when his uncle wiped some blood from the deer on Patrick’s face, as though the very act of killing is inherent in the DNA of men. 

“Inspiration” comes in the form of discovering a treasure chest in his grandmother’s attic that reveals forbidden secrets from her past and gains him insight into her true identity and his family’s heritage. 

“Reality” hits the reader hard and fast as Patrick struggles with physical and mental war wounds from his traumatic experiences of fighting in Vietnam. Trying to come to terms with the horrors he endured during his service, he returns home an angry and hardened man.

For the most part, a riveting read to the bitter end!