★★★★★
When a book starts out with a note from a father to a son that reads, “Almost got killed today. Don’t think it happened though,” well, that is certainly enough to pique my interest! So it begins with John Hazen’s book, Dear Dad, A Novel. This fantastic story follows our protagonist John Foster, a young man living a pretty fortunate life in small town Massachusetts in 1969. When he ends up in Vietnam, his life is broken apart, and he feels as if he’s losing himself. When John is hit with artillery and is flying through the air, all seems lost. But instead of falling to the ground and his likely demise, John ends up flying through time. Landing in the middle of the Civil War, a whole new set of complications arises.
Dear Dad, A Novel was such a unique take on historical fiction. Using a bit of a science fiction bent with the element of time travel, author John Hazen’s work fascinated me. The descriptions of war, including those of World War II and Vietnam, and then the Civil War, were realistic and emotional. The relationship between son and father, and the character development of John and his dad were carefully drawn and exquisitely rendered. Dear Dad, A Novel would appeal to any reader who enjoys war stories, historical fiction or just a generally great read. I have not read any of John Hazen’s work before, but I certainly look forward to reading more from this very talented author.