In the past years, Kristin Hannah became an increasingly popular author. I had my first introduction to her books in 2018 by reading The Nightingale, which I rated 5 stars. In the years that followed, I read several more of this author’s books. Last year I read both The Four Winds and The Women, and especially the latter one set the bar high for me considering Home Front. This is an old book, published in 2012, but was only brought to my attention this year as the Dutch publisher republishes old works by this author. I expected to feel all the feels and this story being highly emotional. Was this book as emotionally draining (in a good way obviously) as previously mentioned books?

About the book

Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Published by St. Martin’s Press on January 31, 2012
Pages: 390
ISBN: 9780312577209
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, General fiction, Literary fiction
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

In her bestselling novels Kristin Hannah has plumbed the depths of friendship, the loyalty of sisters, and the secrets mothers keep. Now, in her most emotionally powerful story yet, she explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage–with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war.
All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost…
Like many couples, Michael and Jolene have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a soldier she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own–for everything that matters to his family.
At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the price of war on an ordinary American family, HOME FRONT is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor and ultimately, hope.

My review

Characters (7/10)

Hannah always knows how to write her characters well. However, it’s pretty noticeable that this book is one of her earlier works, because it’s harder to empathize with both Jolene and Michael. They look like the happily married couple on the outside, but actually their marriage is on the verge of ending. These characters couldn’t be more opposed to one another than these two. Since they both have their own POV, we get to know them pretty well. Sometimes it was easy to feel for them, sometimes it just wasn’t. Fortunately, they are forced to show growth once the story progresses, but it all feels pretty abrupt and therefore a bit unbelievable. The emotional connection is lacking.

Atmosphere (8/10)

I like tension and that’s exactly what this book provides. This is already tangible in the prologue, where we get introduced to Jolene and her backstory. Gradually, we see a slight shift in the atmosphere, but it’s only getting more tense. There are lovely and hopeful moments, but as a marriage is on the line, it’s obvious this book is not just rainbows and sunshine. It even becomes more chaotic when Jolene is sent to Iraq to serve her country as a helicopter pilot. Michael is distressed and doesn’t know what to do. So, even more tension there! And what about their teenage daughter entering puberty? Indeed, more tension.

Writing (7/10)

This book is published in 2012 and although Hannah was still early in her career, she already knew how to engage the reader. The writing is smooth, albeit a bit distant. Still, I wanted to continue reading as I wanted to know how the story would progress. The POV switching is necessary and has been done well.

Plot (6/10)

Unfortunately, the premise sounds better than the actual execution is. I’m taking into account that I know what this author is capable of and that this book is published more than ten years ago, but it feels like some balance would have made the story a bit more captivating. The themes addressed are raw and emotional, and it’s clear that Hannah did some extended research. Several of these themes are pride (to serve in the army), despair, grief, friendship, love, trust and dealing with PTSD. This book is set in 2005, when the US was still fighting in Iraq after invading the country in 2003.

Intrigue (6/10)

Because of the plot not being balanced properly, it was hard to be fully intrigued. Although I wanted to keep reading, I didn’t feel that emotional connection like I did with e.g. The Women. I find the final part of the novel the most intriguing, after Jolene unexpectedly returns home. However, that part feels also a bit rushed, especially the much needed character development. I still was captivated, but less than I expected.

Logic (8/10)

The relationship between Jolene and Michael knows a lot of hurdles. Gradually they have to find their way back to one another (or not), and this has been handled in a natural way. Nothing feels forced. It’s very logical that Jolene’s family missed her heaps, but also has to get used to their loved one having seen so much pain and danger in Iraq. Jolene on the other hand has to get used to being back home with her loved ones and how to process all she has been through. This is natural, but as mentioned several times before, it all feels a bit rushed in the end.

Enjoyment (7/10)

It’s hard to write “ enjoyment” here, as Home Front by Kristin Hannah is definitely not a book to typically enjoy. The atmosphere is tense, exactly what I expected when reading the blurb. This is what piqued my interest, because it promised to be an emotional story. It was in the end, but the author was still early on in her career when publishing this book. More than a decade later, she has shown some significant growth, which makes her books much more captivating and less emotionally distant. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I felt for both Jolene and Michael, but other times it was easy to distance myself. The plot moreover feels a bit unbalanced. There is a long build-up, a relative short part in Iraq, only to deal with the aftermath for the rest of the book. Still, the character growth feels rapid and unbelievable at times. I’m still glad I read this older book by a beloved author and I would still recommend it.