Unseen unless seen and then it becomes apparent

Not so much the first of a series but the beginnings of a serial. Had the ending not occurred so abruptly without any resolution, and without forwarding, this reader would have ascribed a five star rating - so be warned.

Five childhood friends, Bobby, Jake, Jonathan, Ricky and Maggie are a very close group with the usual naughtiness and secrets of youth. And they call themselves The Suicide Squad after favourite comic book heroes. When war in Iraq comes, the four males join up. Maggie, by then married to Ricky, stays behind. What follows is both perfectly realistic - and very bizarre.

The earliest scenes in this book, with Jonathan and Ricky serving together, is probably one of the most fraught and mundane images of inside the mind of a soldier that this this reader has encountered. It felt so real. And very atmospheric. Indeed, that runs through the entire story, the 'after they come home' normalcy mixed with the horrors each of the gang, including Maggie, confronts. The pace is slow moving but the tension is always there, gripping and growing, puzzling and demanding to know what is going on? What happens next?

A fascinating story well performed by the narrator, Rick Gregory. I confess that, at the beginning, his reading seemed rather downbeat even though the character dialogue was excellent. But very soon it became apparent that his interpretation of the text was just right, mirroring the blankness of the protagonist's surroundings. An excellent performance meeting text and narration into one whole experience.

This is an horror story made all the more so by the ordinariness of the people and the plight of battle 'heroes' after they return. But nothing is normal for the gang. I was really fortunate in receiving a complimentary copy of Dwelling from the rights holder, at my request, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much. And I will certainly be looking out for the next book: I just have to know what happens.

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