I recently went on a business trip to Vancouver, Canada with my good friend Xandria. As we were waiting for our plane to take off, naturally, I was rummaging around in her carry on bag looking for something to entertain myself. In there I found a book called Going Overboard: The Misadventures of a Military Wife by Sarah Smiley. It didn't take me long to confiscate the book and devour it.
I don't know if I have ever read a book that hit so close to home with me. Her description of the turmoil that occurs within yourself as you watch your husband prepare to deploy was dead on. I could have been writing this book! Except I am just not that eloquent.
It is a witty and funny novel that will keep military wives as well as civilian giggling through each page.
The second half of the book, I was less in tune with. I don't want to spoil it for you, but if you read it, you'll know what I mean. The only other critique was during the part of the book where the troops are deploying it depicts the wives as completely losing control. They scream and shout things like "Don't leave, I can do this without you! Don't go!" I don't know ANY military spouses that behave like that. Your job is to be there and support your husband and be strong. I don't subscribe to the theory that you can't be sad and shed your tears. I've heard that through the years that it is wrong to let your husband see you cry as he leaves. My husband would be tossed into a panic if he left for 6 months and I just stood there smiling and waving like an idiot.
All in all though, it was a fantastic book. If you have someone close to you who is a military spouse, I highly recommend giving it a read. You just might get a glimpse into the their life that you have never seen before.
