I’d Walk with My Friends If I Could Find Them

Goolsby’s debut features deep characters and an uneven, meandering plot. Wintric Ellis begins his stint in the Army as a way of getting out of his rural California town directly after high school. He’s sent to Afghanistan, where he meets fellow soldiers Dax and Torres. In one routine patrol, the three soldiers are forced to make an impossible decision that results in a death. Ellis, torn apart inside, disfigures himself in order to be sent home from war. The other two men go their separate ways. They all do their best to reacclimatize themselves to civilian life, with varying degrees of success. They struggle with families, drug abuse, and hidden pain for years. Goolsby’s knowledge of military life comes through in every sentence: the suffering and ambivalence of the veterans is palpable, and readers will fully sympathize with them. That said, Goolsby seems unclear as to when he wants to wrap up the stories, and so the narrative becomes listless and wanders. Readers will start to wonder why they’re following the stories of Torres’s daughters. Still, Goolsby expertly renders his characters, bringing their struggles to life. Agent: Chelsea Lindman, Greenburger Associates. (June)