When They Came Home

By Terri Lewis

Book Overview

Although Edith longs to be a wife, her tiny town has few eligible men. But when soldiers returning from WWI come to work on her family's farm, she meets Milton. They court, marry, and have two daughters, but slowly the horrors he endured while fighting begin to weigh on him. He falls into silence, develops a thousand-yard stare. In the decades that follow, challenged by precarious fortunes and facing down an indifferent government, Edith struggles to build a home for their daughters while fighting for Milton's healing. When They Came Home is a haunting portrait of a marriage tested by war's lingering effects and an example of how even the deepest traumas can be met by the patient powers of love.

--Terri Lewis

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1881163768
• ISBN13: 9781881163763
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Miami University Press
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

So heartbreaking, that war trauma wasn't understood after WWI

Based on the true story of her grandfather, Terri Lewis's book about a WWI veteran's PTSD and his wife's struggle to help him is so touching. The wife fought to get the government to acknowledge that his issues were due to his service in the trenches. This book is one that will stay with you for a while.