Whenever I pick up a Kristin Hannah book, I anticipate to be wrecked. The Jodi Picoult of historical fiction, Hannah has a knack to weave the saddest storylines into moments in history, and The Women was no different.

Centered on military nurses during the Vietnam War, Hannah takes on a time in history that doesn’t always frequent the world of fiction, and she does it well. While she doesn’t introduce any groundbreaking information about the war and its aftermath (the historical facts about the war are very surface level), she does flip the narrative on its head and tells the story of the women behind the scenes who saw some pretty heavy sh** as they worked to save countless lives.

Hannah doesn’t pull back when it comes to traumatic punches. Frankie, the main characters and only POV, sends her brother off to Vietnam and learns of his death within the first 20 pages of the book. Typically, I’d expect any author to play out letters between Frankie and her brother and her worries about his safety, but Hannah cuts right to the chase. Because that’s what war is. Once her brother passes, Frankie enlists as a nurse much to her parents’ disapproval, and off she goes.

Frankie shows up in-country with no nurse experience, but is quickly thrown in to the fire. She grows to become quite the impressive surgical nurse, and like I said, sees some pretty heavy sh** that Hannah does not hesitate to highlight in detail. Lots of trigger warnings here. All of the trigger warnings, actually. Frankie makes two close friends and the three of them build a bond stronger than sisterhood that follows them well beyond the war.

When Frankie returns from war, the trauma doesn’t stop. Readers are then given a front row seat to Frankie’s PTSD among other traumas that she has to navigate. While reading, I wondered if there was just too much sadness and tragic moments, but realized that this was the reality of so many, and continues to be the reality of veterans in the U.S. Hannah does a good job highlighting this and providing Frankie a (very privileged) pathway to heal.

I closed the book inspired to learn more about such an important moment in history. I admit I don’t know much about the 60s, and Hannah paints an enticing picture of the decade and how all major events were related to one another, from the war to protests at home to civil rights to the soundtrack of the 60s (The Beatles, The Doors, etc). I have been researching documentaries and other books to read, so please pass along recommendations if you have them.