Midnight Rain

Ten Million Men Died In World War I; Millions More Came Home Physically And Emotionally Scarred. Just Beginning Their Life Together Johnny And Lizzie Mitchell Face The Aftermath Of The Great War. Attempting To Hide His Shell Shock Johnny Distances Himself From Everything He Loves Including His Wife And Clings To The Ghosts Of Soldiers From His Platoon For Solace And Understanding.. Set In 1919 Midnight Rain Chronicles The Psychological Suffering Of A Soldier Following World War I Both Through The Intensely Rendered Details Of Johnny'S Memories And Flashbacks And Through The Poignancy Of The Couple'S Desperate Attempts To Save Their Marriage And Ultimately Johnny'S Life. This Is A Novel About The Horror Of War And The Redemption Found Only In Love.. In A Small Town In Illinois Elizabeth Conroy A Woman In Her Early Twenties And Her Fiancé John Mitchell A Soldier Returning From The Front Lines Of World War I Are Reunited After The Armistice And Attempt To Start Their New Life Together. Lizzie Is The Only Daughter Of An Old-Fashioned Upper Middle-Class Family. She Breaks Free Of The Restrictions Her Father Places On Her By Volunteering To Help At The Local Army Hospital Where Her Eyes Are Opened To The Plight Of The Returning Soldiers. When Her Fiance Johnny Mitchell Returns Home The Plans For The Wedding Begin. On The Surface Things Seem To Be Going Well For The Young Couple But It Is Revealed Slowly Through Nightmares And Hallucinations That Johnny Is Suffering From Shell Shock. Johnny Is Haunted By Some Of The Men Who Died While Under His Command. At First His Odd Behavior Is Simply Attributed To His Fatigue But He Begins To Withdraw From Those Around Him. The Long-Awaited Wedding Takes Place But Living Together Makes It More Difficult For Johnny To Hide His Troubles And Lizzie Becomes Aware Of His Nightmares And Behavior Changes. Johnny Is Resentful Of Any Prying Into His Thoughts And Feelings. He Experiences Flashbacks Of The War More Frequently And His Odd Behavior Causes Fights Between He And Lizzie. Their Relationship And Their Lives Begin To Unravel. Is It Possible To Salvage Anything? Full Of Realistic Scenes From World War 1 And Life In America After The War Midnight Rain Is An Exploration Into What Happens To People When Faced With The Trauma Of War And The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder That Can Follow. Ms. Traverso Has Done Extensive Research Into These Topics And According To The 5 Vietnam Veterans She Worked With In A Group That Used Writing As Atool For Recovery From Ptsd She Has Captured The Truth Of The Horror Of War Completely.. “This Book Is Not About Heroes...Nor Is It About Deeds Or Lands Nor Anything About Glory HonourMight Majesty Dominion Or Power Except War...My Subject Is War And The Pity Of War.” - Wilfred Owen