Novelist Eisenberg misses the mark in her third book about the cost of modern war (after Just the Way You Want Me
). Tony, 21, has just returned home to Shenandoah Valley, Va., from serving in the 1991 Gulf War. Anxiously awaiting him are his mother, Mimi, whose husband, Henry, died in Vietnam, and his adopted sister, Lily, who is in love with him. Tony and Lily's budding romance moves smoothly—too smoothly, glossing over any residual brother/sister feelings the two might have for each other—until Tony's best friend Homer, also a marine in Desert Storm, starts suffering from rashes, fevers and fits of rage. As Tony tries to make sense of his buddy's deteriorating condition while trying to start a life with Lily, his world begins to break apart. A slow plot and unconvincing dialogue deflate the drama and leave readers wondering about the characters' motivations. (Nov.)
