Dear Readers, I couldn’t be happier with this dive into my novel. Thank you, reviewer/ editor/ author Diane Donovan. A recommendation to libraries is precious.
“Beyond the Bukubuk Tree
Loretta Goldberg
MadeGlobal Publishing
9788412232585, $4.99 eBook
World War II novels abound and quite often include love stories amidst battles – so what makes Beyond the Bukubuk Tree different and attractive over others? It’s Loretta Goldberg’s attention to building a story replete with secrets on the parts of participants, who prepare for inner and outer battle in different ways.
Young Jewish physician Jake Friedman believes he’s inadvertently caused the death of a colleague. Veteran Alex Whipple has never quite recovered from his stint in World War I, and is haunted by specters from his past as he reaches for redemption by battling bullies in his present world.
Both are assigned to duty with the Lark Force battalion, a group which suffers from a lack of support and respect. Charged with defending the port town of Rabaul, the odds tip against them when the Japanese unexpectedly invade.
Loretta Goldberg incorporates many unexpected elements into her story, from a growing attraction between the soldiers to the secrets in their hearts that they struggle with even amidst the rigors of attraction and confrontation.
Goldberg is especially adept at crafting almost poetic descriptions of pivot points and moments that lend to each character’s self-realization and growth:
With his blood a frozen river of bleakness, Wip gazed at the man he thought he knew. Jake’s hazel eyes – when they shone with joy, when they focused in intense thought, or burned with disapproval, when they clouded with an unshared thought; he’d ruffled every strand of Jake’s bushy hair, and seen Jake pat it down for inspection; and the wanting curve of his lips, Wip had thought he could interpret – all these he’d charted, and internalised as the one who meant the most to him, ever. And now, this body inhabited a world of possibilities unavailable to Wip. Jake’s body was a liar, and he, Wip, a sucker, his ‘forever’ dream gone.
The vivid descriptions and equally thought-provoking psychological dilemmas that force the characters both together and apart creates an ebb and flow of plot to keep readers engaged and guessing about outcomes.
Also especially notable are issues of moral and ethical values which are also tested in the heat of battle and the passion of love.
Libraries interested in World War II novels that depart, sometimes radically, from the usual backdrop of military might will find Beyond the Bukubuk Tree worthy of acquisition. It’s not often that sensual love scenes contrast so powerfully with life-changing portraits of survival struggles and death.”
Diane Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review, and Editor, Donovan Literary Services.
https://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/sep_24.htm#dianedonovan
