you know when the men are gone.

Recently, I heard a wonderful NPR interview with Siobhan Fallon, writer of You Know When All The Men Are Gone. Fallon is a military wife and earned her MFA at the New School in New York City. Her book (a collection of short stories) is based on the experiences of Army families in Fort Hood.

 

Wow, she sounded fabulous. It made me stop for a moment and truly think about those experiencing such a different life, yet living so close to us. Fort Hood is literally right down the road from Austin, Texas.

Whether we are in the military world or not, feelings of isolation and fear is certainly part of the human experience. Not to mention, we live in a day and age where all types of loved ones often travel for work and are away for long lengths of time. Think of musicians, attorneys, pilots, or professors. This book resonates with all those dark and confusing feelings of family left behind in a beautiful, understated manner.

If you don't have time to read the book, listen to the interview here, and you just might make the time.

Kirkus Review writes: "In an accomplished debut story collection, Fallon lays bare the lonely lives of military families when the men go to war. In these eight loosely connected tales, the families of Fort Hood, Texas, wait for their men to come home. That waiting, filled with anxiety, boredom and sometimes resentment, creates a Godot-like existence, in which real life begins only when a soldier’s deployment ends... Fallon reveals the mostly hidden world of life on base for military families, and offers a powerful, unsentimental portrait of America at war. A fresh look at the Iraq war as it plays out on the domestic front."