A spare meditation on loyalty and betrayal.
Elliot Ackerman's latest novel, Waiting for Eden, follows Marine Eden Malcom as his death approaches due to combat injuries suffered in Iraq. Narrated by Eden's best friend, who states he was "sitting next to Eden and luckier than him when our Humvee hit a pressure plate, killing me and everybody else, him barely surviving," the unnamed ghost waits for his friend to join him in the afterworld. Omniscient, the narrator is aware of Eden's thought processes and discusses what his friend is going through as he lies conscious in his hospital bed, immobile, deaf and nearly blind, as well as the thoughts of those around him. In meditative flashbacks, the ghost recollects his relationship with Eden and Eden's wife Mary, as well as events that brought them all to the current point in time.

It's no surprise that Ackerman was a Marine; his insight into the sacrifices made by service members and their families – during their deployment and, perhaps more importantly, after their return – is remarkable, as is his ability to help his readers understand why these men and women may make the decisions they do and what motivates them. This insider's view of such important topics alone would put Waiting for Eden high on many people's to-read list, but beyond this, Ackerman delves into questions even more central to the human condition: What does it mean to be alive? When is it time to let go? What regrets must we live with? These and other profound questions permeate the work, making it relevant far beyond the scope of a typical war book.

Also impressive is Ackerman's ability to infuse his narrative with incredible realism; he's a keen observer of human nature. At one point during a social interaction he writes that "[Mary] pretended these women didn't know about her, and they pretended back." One of Eden's nurses, a former combat medic, thinks, "He'd watched the minutes he bought for his friends turn into sentences of too many hours, days and months. Soon he learned it wasn't too little time that was the enemy but too much." In another scene Mary contemplates Eden's death: "Mary thought about her husband, and the word imminent, and maybe once this was over, once he'd gone, things would get better for her… Her husband dying would be a good thing… She was ready to say goodbye, thinking of what she wanted to tell him or, if he couldn't hear it, what she wanted to tell herself."

These musings feel so spot-on that readers can't help but understand the sentiments completely, even if they've never been in similar circumstances themselves.

Make no mistake, the novel is a grim one, and there are no answers to these important questions within its pages; its graphic nature may also make it a challenging read for some. Nevertheless, I think it was one of the most haunting narratives I've encountered in a long time, and I've continued to mull it over in the weeks since reading it. It is a powerful and affecting story. I can confidently say that Waiting for Eden is my highest-rated book of the year to-date; its weighty themes make it an especially good choice for group discussion.

Cleverly told, you're led to what you believe to be a predicable conclusion, and then WTH? Loved it, wanted more...

The specifics about the plot of this book are to do with military deployment, returning home (what is "home" after that), the emotional turmoil. But the overall circumstances are to do with loss, grief, waiting, love, love lost, and unknowing. The emotions of a human life lived alongside a partner are clearly illuminated in this short novel, and honed to a fine point with the specific story of a young couple, one in the military, told in phases passing back and forth through time. The tragedy of war and what it does to people is heartbreakingly clear. The dissolution of love, the lingering emotional toll of war, and what that does to people is also conveyed through the nearly lifeless body of a man bound to a hospital bed for over 3 years, and the wife who visits him but won't let him go. Quiet, sad, and pulsing with a cold, bruised-purple hue (much like the cover of the book), this book injects the reader with a melancholy and sadness sharply felt, but most achingly just out of reach to those who haven't been directly impacted by war like a military spouse or veteran.

Wow! Powerful short novel. Intense. The book takes hold of you and it's impossible to let go until you finish. Well, at least that is how it affected me. No, this is not a thriller. It's actually a quiet book, at least when thinking about the after-effect of war, of a landmine that goes off and kills everyone, but one, Eden.

Perhaps I identified more with the book as I have sat next to a loved one, hooked up to tubes and wires monitoring the body and brain waves; wondering if the person I love is still alive, there, and what would be best for that person. If the eyes open, does that mean they are awake? Conscious?

This book takes an interesting viewpoint, of a dead friend telling this story. He knows more than he should, but then again, he is no longer living.

Good writing, and a great book.

This small book packs a powerful punch of emotions, looking at the aftermath of love, guilt, betrayal and war.