Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Stunning debut fiction from Jeannee Sacken

 


Behind the Lens

Jeanee Sacken
Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Ten 16 Press
March 9, 2021
436 pp

Buy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

About the Book
Eight years ago, seasoned photojournalist Annie Hawkins Green barely survived a Taliban ambush that left her military escort dead and a young Afghan girl dying in her arms. Since then, she has managed to suppress her memories of that brutal day—until she returns to Afghanistan to teach a photography workshop at the secondary school for girls run by her expat best friend Darya Faludi. As the Taliban gain prominence in the once peaceful region, Annie’s nightmares from her last time in-country come roaring back with a vengeance. But are they just dreams? The unshakeable feeling of a grim, watchful presence makes Annie think otherwise.

As Annie struggles with her nightmares, more trouble brews with the suspicion that Darya’s teenage daughter is sneaking away at night to meet her shadowy boyfriend. Meanwhile, Annie’s own daughter wages war with her father and stepmother back home, feeding Annie’s all-consuming mom-guilt. Her only comfort, a poetry-writing U.S. Naval officer who saved her life all those years ago, is now at the other end of a satellite phone 7,000 miles away. How can he possibly keep her safe?

How can anyone?

My review
Behind the Lens is a stunning debut novel ultimately about friendship and family set amidst cultural upheaval. War in modern day Afghanistan might be expected to work one way, but war on the home front in a blended family situation is always a whisper influencing everything Annie Hawkins does, wherever she goes as a photojournalist. Divorced over the danger she constantly seeks, Annie shares her daughter with her ex-husband while working all over the world as a prize-winning photographer. When the stars almost align for Annie to fulfill a years-long promise to her former roommate and best friend Darya now operating a girls school in Afghanistan, Annie leaves home again to teach a class on photography during the midst of a power struggle between her daughter and her daughter’s stepmother. It’s been eight years since Annie has been back, and immediately long-suppressed memories resurface in episodes of disturbing PTSD. Only this time the memories reveal facts and offer clues about her current hazardous situation.

Annie’s friend also has a teenage daughter with a secret war going on. When Annie finally gets Darya’s daughter to open up, the truth is as ugly as it gets. Annie seeks a balance of friendship and promises while reflecting on her underlying guilt as a parent who regularly abandons her own child. Complicating matters further is Annie’s trust issues with a complex man who rescued her long ago and his attempts to protect her now.

Author Jeannée Sacken brings life to a crippling and maniacal segment of life in a turbulent nation. Step into the reality and horrors of not only the subjects of a photojournalist but the aftermath affecting Annie’s life and career. Experience the great joys and beauty of a country and people caught in the crossfire of deep-seated tradition and modern extremism with the bitter sorrows of terrorism in the stories Annie must live in order to tell.

Although I highly recommend this story for high school readers and up, some language, authentic violence, and mild adult situations lead me to caution parents to check it out first. Told from Annie’s viewpoint throughout, the story ebbs and flows in tides of pleasure and fear as Annie remembers the past, searches to explain why she takes risky assignments, and surrenders to her passion for telling story from behind a camera lens.

About the Author:
A former English professor, Jeannée Sacken is a photojournalist who travels the world documenting the lives of women and children. She lives in Shorewood, Wisconsin, with her husband and cat, where she’s hard at work on her next novel also featuring Annie Hawkins Green. Follow Jeannée at jeanneesacken.com.


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