What Have We Done

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I also take strong issue with “forgiving” which the author repeatedly refers to. During therapy, or over conversations – some soldiers claimed to have found self-forgiveness. In therapy other participants (soldiers) would “forgive them”. Forgiveness is an act bestowed by the victim (or the victim’s family members) if possible. Having un-related people, in a therapy session for example, grant forgiveness rings hollow. Self-forgiveness seems a psychological coping mechanism – or a form of denial. What right does one have to forgive oneself for outrages against a victim(s); one example given was the beating of a prisoner.

Simon sets a plate in front of Jenna. Smiles. He doesn’t ask her what’s on her agenda today. He never does. They met on Match.com, a year ago—three years after the girls’ biological mother succumbed to cancer. They married six months later to the consternation of Simon’s family and friends. To hell with them all, he always says, the rare times he curses. And Willow will come around—just give her time. The book overall is entertaining and I listened to the audiobook in less than a day. It's fast paced and kept me interested throughout. That's about as good as it gets though. The characters aren't well developed and when I got to the end and saw how it all fit together I thought "Is that really it?" Although the cat-and-mouse excitement in the present day was gripping, I just didn't feel like I got enough from the past to appreciate the motive of the bad guy(s) or even to understand the motivations of the characters. Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down―after the disappearance of several kids―the three were split up. Jenna- trained as an assassin as a teen (we don’t get that full story unfortunately) but has left that life behind, trying to build a normal family now Jenna understands. The other moms still haven’t taken to Jenna either. Simon always jokes that they’re intimidated by her looks. She doesn’t think it’s that, but she’ll keep trying. She smiles at Karen, the perfectly named queen bee of the neighborhood moms. The gesture goes unrequited.

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A small group of kids meet in at the very misnamed Savior House, a group home for teens without parents. The place is a house of horrors with bullying and inappropriate adult caretaking. And girls go missing, never to be seen again. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. Judge Ben is dead - I can't remember exactly how, but I’m pretty sure one of the sexy blonde lady twins got him? So now the FBI is involved because of Federal Stuff. They had to rely on each other— along with Benny, Arty, and others— to get through it until something caused the home to close down. They each grow to find their own success. I have time. I need to make sure my girls get the most important meal of the day.” He pushes his glasses up on his nose. For most women, the nerdy tax lawyer wouldn’t elicit the rush of whatever chemical or emotion crowding Jenna’s chest. But this boring numbers man, white-bread as they come, fills that part of Jenna that was empty for so long. She knows they’re an odd match. She catches the looks, the whispers, that she must be in it for the money, the gossipers not realizing that Simon isn’t exactly Bill Gates, even if he resembles him. In fact, Jenna’s numbered Swiss account dwarfs their modest savings and Simon’s 401(k).

After the meet-and-greet—the selfies and poster signing and awkward conversations with drunk people—the VIP room clears out and Tom calls him over. All three of these people were part of Savior’s House foster care when they were younger. But it was not a safe place to be and girls kept going missing. That said, What Have We Done didn’t work for me as well as Mr. Finlay’s earlier novels. What happened in the past was largely predictable, and the one piece of it that wasn’t predictable was never adequately explained. What was happening in the present was far too dependent on debatable choices (especially the one that put the whole story in motion), and several unrealistic characters (Jenna, Haley and Casey).Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

But, despite the fact that they haven’t seen each other for years, they are bonded by the night, when they all committed a crime-sworn to secrecy, to protect themselves and the others. (Sound familiar?) The story is told in 3 POV's with Jenna, Donnie and Nico hunted by a killer. The Killer does have a POV in a few chapters that ties in nicely. Nico has been the producer of a reality show about miners. He was in the mine when an explosion occurred, trapping him. He was near death when rescued. He gambles and is heavily in debt to the mob. Before he responds, Pixie pushes her small frame inside. She makes a face at the stench, looks around, and before Donnie can conceal the evidence sets her eyes on the empty bottle of Jägermeister. The razor blade and rolled dollar bill on the table. The plot didn't make a ton of sense (like none) and was more of an action thriller than a mystery. That genre is fine, but not what I was expecting from this book, based on the description. I can't get into much detail about what I disliked plot-wise without spoilers, so I will leave it at: confusing and not my favorite. [BUT YOU CAN SCROLL WAY DOWN FOR SPOILERS IF YOU WANT]I wish I could give it 5 stars, but my mind just does not want me to on the basis of how clinical it all makes the process seem. "Moral injuries" should now be listed with TBI/PTSD and I have had many that will never heal. I want them to find a way to fix this, but I know they cannot so it is up to me. This sounds intense and exciting, but I did not care enough about the characters to be invested in their fate. Transitions from the present to past time was abrupt, without warning, and could be confusing. They sit in silence for a while. Like they’re all wondering when life will take a turn for them. When they won’t be the outcasts, when they won’t have to face the indignities of the lunchroom, when they won’t have to go to bed worried about closing their eyes, when they’ll have families again.” Wanna party?” she’d said, smelling of cigarettes and beer. She didn’t have to ask him twice. He doesn’t remember much else. Most recently, in the past year and 1/2, my recovery has taken a decidedly spiritual turn. I have found a faith community that helps. I see in What Have We Done? the questions and themes of dealing with the moral component of war, and recovering from moral injury. I know I have used this exact phrase in talking about my combat experiences. This is an area where conventional modalities of healing and reintegration fail many veterans, leaving them to try to figure it out on their own. Some do; many don't.