Jaclyn’s Review: Repentance by Andrew Lam

Repentance
written by Andrew Lam
published by Tiny Fox Press LLC, 2019

find it here: (affiliate links) Amazon, Kobo, Book Depository, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book? This book was a great read! This book grabs your attention from the start with a scene in the emergency department of a hospital, where our main character saves the life of a young gunshot victim. Obviously this has nothing to do with WWII, but it does set the tone for our main narrator and his background as a world class surgeon. The story is told through alternative viewpoints–first through Daniel, the surgeon; then through Ray, the WWII soldier. I loved this for a few different reasons. Notably, I am attracted to books with multiple narrators, so this was totally my style! I thought this writing device was well used in this book. It did a great job of keeping the reader in suspense, while moving multiple plots lines forward. Everything resolves quite nicely in the last 25% of the book, with plenty of surprises and plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. It was refreshing to read a story about WWII from a viewpoint that isn’t told very often.

 

 

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! This was a great read, and I was totally invested in each character and plot line. I think this book explores some great themes of forgiveness (of self and others), family, honor, and duty just to name a few. You don’t need to be a history buff to enjoy this book; there is something here for everyone!
 

 

About the book – from Goodreads: France, October 1944. A Japanese American war hero has a secret.

A secret so awful he’d rather die than tell anyone—one so entwined with the brave act that made him a hero that he’s determined never to speak of the war. Ever.

Decades later his son, Daniel Tokunaga, a world-famous cardiac surgeon, is perplexed when the U.S. government comes calling, wanting to know about his father’s service with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Something terrible happened while his father was fighting the Germans in France, and the Department of Defense won’t stop its investigation until it’s determined exactly who did what.

Wanting answers of his own, Daniel upends his life to find out what his father did on a small, obscure hilltop half a world away. As his quest for the truth unravels his family’s catastrophic past, the only thing for certain is that nothing—his life, career, and family—can ever be the same again.

 

 
 

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** This post first appeared on Every Free Chance Books (everyfreechance.com) on May 1, 2019.