3 out of 4 stars
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Halo Jumping, by Somer Burgess, is a raw and heartwrenching memoir full of love, war, and trauma. Through diary entries, letters, and photos, Burgess tells the story of her relationship with her husband, Ray Ray, and the trials they faced over the course of his deployment to Iraq. She describes the struggle and loneliness of their separation, her husband’s battle with PTSD, and the failure of the US government to give him the help and treatment he desperately needed.
I was immediately struck by the author’s voice, which rings out from the very first sentence. Her writing brims with her tough, determined, and loving personality from the very start. It felt like I really knew her – like she was an old friend – and that connection drew me deeply into the memoir.
Her writing is also very honest. Burgess doesn’t shy away from showing all aspects of her and Ray Ray’s relationship. The good, the bad, the racy, and the tragic – it’s all there on every page. Much of this honesty comes from the fact that the diary entries and wartime correspondence seem to have been only lightly edited; all the random asides, occasional repetition, and sexual tension were left in. I could truly feel Somer and Ray Ray’s love for each other, and even moreso the pain and anxiety they had to face.
While this unabashed storytelling makes the memoir feel utterly real, I think it also made the narrative lack focus. As a piece of literature, it left a bit to be desired. Life is full of unimportant events and extraneous details – the best creative nonfiction filters it all through a particular lens or angle to create a cohesive work. The book ends with a brief mention of the author’s work to raise awareness and support for military families dealing with the effects of PTSD, and I think this was the goal of her memoir as well. With that in mind, I think the story would have been stronger and harder-hitting if she had pared down some of the less-important aspects of the book – her brief custody battle with her first husband, for instance. Removing these distractions would have allowed her to really lean into describing the horrors her husband experienced at war and at home - to make it more of a narrative and less of a transcript.
I also noticed that the second half of the book seemed like it had been rushed through. The errors weren’t grave or numerous, but they were oversights that should have been caught by an editor before publication. For instance, Burgess’ son’s name changes from Malikai to Malakai at one point. On another page, there was what seemed to be an editor’s note that hadn’t been removed. Another careful pass by an editor would take the memoir to the next level.
In the end, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, taking off one star for the rushed editing and lack of focus. I briefly debated rating it two stars, but the sheer honesty and emotion of the work make up for at least a little of its structural issues. Readers should be advised that the book does contain some adult content that may not be suitable for young adults. That said, I recommend this book to anyone who loves a powerful memoir, particularly those with a personal connection to military life or PTSD.
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Halo Jumping
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