Morgen's War

Leonard Schonberg
Sunstone Press (2005)
ISBN 0865344418
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (9/06)

"Morgen's War" begins with the main character, Robert, discovering that the woman he had fallen madly in love with, married, and fathered a child with, does not love him any longer.  She does not break this to him suddenly, but the readers will see it clearly as she moves a few states away for the sake of her career. 

Any reader with an ex-spouse will love to live vicariously through Robert as he is able to air the dirty laundry of his ex-spouse and her family.  Robert slams her and her father with subtle jabs.  Alyssa is often not smart enough or is too self-absorbed to pick up on the smart-aleck remarks and actions.

As the book progresses, the reader and Robert realize that there is more to Alyssa than first realized.  An old friend comes back into his life, though he had ignored her because of an awkward sexual encounter.  Robert finds that she is so different than Alyssa, but is he capable of putting Alyssa behind him?

As it always is the case, their son, Davey, is the one who suffers because of the failed marriage.  Robert seems to be the only one who cares about this.  Davey just wants his family to live together.  Though Davey lived with Robert while Alyssa worked a few states away, two lawyers assure him that a judge will never grant Robert custody, because he is male.  It is always assumed that a woman can be a better parent than a man.

Left without anything to live for on a daily basis, Robert goes to Pakistan to work as a volunteer physician.  The lack of basic medical supplies and personnel is such a shock to the physician.  More of a surprise is the way women are treated.  The examples given remind me of how farmers think of cows. 

Robert decides to risk his life and cross over to Afghanistan.  This is a decision that almost cost his life and does cost him the life of his fellow physician. 

This book reads so quickly.  Several spots were so funny that I could not help but laugh out loud.  On the flip side, I developed a lot of anger toward Alyssa.  This was an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Leonard Schonberg is also the author of "Deadly Indian Summer," "Fish Heads," and "Legacy."  I loved "Morgen's War" so much that I plan on reading the rest of his works.  I recommend you do so, also.

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