Shadows in the Mind's Eye, Janyre Tromp

Hello followers, visitors, & book lovers! Thank you for coming in today and welcome back to The Cozy Book Blog by Diane-Lyn! I am thrilled to be today’s stop on the virtual book tour for Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp. Many thanks to Amy Bruno at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the invite. Below you will find a synopsis, my review and some other information on this intriguing new release. Thanks again for dropping in and enjoy the tour.

Diane-Lyn

SHADOWS IN THE MIND’S EYE BY JANYRE TROMP

Publication Date: April 19, 2022
Kregel Publications

Genre: Historical Fiction/Christian

Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on–responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who’s come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam’s experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand–but that everyone is learning to fear.

Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn’t the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?

Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she’s terrified he’s going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam’s mental wounds–or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?

Debut novelist Janyre Tromp delivers a deliciously eerie, Hitchcockian story filled with love and suspense. Readers of psychological thrillers and historical fiction by Jaime Jo Wright and Sarah Sundin will add Tromp to their favorite authors list.

Review by Diane-Lyn:

Oh my – nothing is as it appears to be in this stunning historical fiction novel by Janyre Tromp. The constant twists and turns left me, as well as the main characters, wondering what was real and what was imagined; begging the question of delusion versus reality.

Tromp has written a love story of perseverance; the endurance of two hurting souls trying desperately to hold their family together after unimaginable trauma. Sam returns home from war a broken man, struggling with what is now known as PTSD. As he works to integrate himself back into his family, nightmares, flashbacks and triggers take hold – putting him on the brink of insanity. To make matters worse, strange things begin to happen on their farm, and even Sam cannot discern what is real and what is imagined. It doesn’t help to live in a community filled with organized crime and corrupt political leadership. Still, everybody around Sam begins to question his mental capacity. Tromp did a brilliant job of immersing the reader into Sam’s post-war inner battles, as told from alternating points of view between Sam and his wife, Annie.

This novel has great historical context. Set in Hot Springs, Arkansas, post World War II, I enjoyed the authentic early southern dialect and spiritual themes. Tromp’s writing is smooth and clear. The book is well researched and well organized. The plot line flowed beautifully. The characters are insightful, well developed and realistic. I was intrigued by Annie’s traumatic childhood and her level of strength and love despite her agonizing start in life. My favorite was Sam’s mother, Dovie May, who was such a source of strength, support and wisdom throughout the novel. Shadows in the Mind’s Eye incorporates love and family with crime and corruption. Addiction, murder, family secrets, betrayal, and the tremendous emotional aftermath of war all come together in this is multi-layered and multi-themed book. There were so many parallels between Sam’s story and that of Louie Zamperini, the former WWII POW. Both suffered nightmares and flashbacks in various settings. Restaurants were difficult for both of them as even certain food items triggered horrific memories and reactions. Both marriages were profoundly tested after the war. The story lines are different, but the general themes are comparable. If you were moved by Zamperini’s story, you will enjoy Shadows in the Mind’s Eye. This novel is well written and uncovers the realities of post-war trauma, including its effect on entire families. I recommend this book to historical fiction lovers, or to anybody looking for a good read about a family in turmoil. Brace yourself for an array of characters and some surprise endings. Well done!

“Sometimes God uses broken things to save us. Ain’t no light that can get through something solid. It sneaks through the broken places.” Dovie May, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye (Tromp)

**I was provided with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. My opinions on this novel are my own.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | INDIEBOUND

Praise

“Readers will enjoy this emotional exploration of a soldier’s journey as he returns home to his family’s farm after fighting a war in the Pacific. This story examines not only the traumatic impact on his own psyche but on the lives of all who love him most. With alternating points of view, Tromp weaves a complex historical tale incorporating love, suspense, hurt, and healing―all the elements that keep the pages turning.” — Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Perennials

“Oh my! What a story! Shadows in the Mind’s Eye is a stunner of a debut novel. Sam and Annie’s love is beautifully rendered, Sam’s combat fatigue (what we now call PTSD) is compassionately portrayed, and Janyre Tromp’s writing effortlessly captures the Southern voice. And the last half of the book is one dangerous, breathtaking twist after another, as Sam’s worst nightmares come to pass. A compelling look at a town struggling to find its soul and a wounded couple struggling to reclaim their love. Not to be missed.” — Sarah Sundin, ECPA best-selling and award-winning author of Until Leaves Fall in Paris

“An achingly poignant tale of rediscovering love and trust between wounded hearts. Love, forgiveness, and danger weave together in Tromp’s emotional tale where the greatest of battles are fought in the mind. Beautiful in description with complex characters, readers will not forget this emotional journey.” — J’nell Ciesielski, best-selling author of The Socialite

“Stunning and compelling, Janyre Tromp’s Shadows in the Mind’s Eye kept me turning pages. With a cast of true-to-life characters, pitch-perfect narrative, and a plot that will keep the reader wondering what is true (and what is imagined), this novel is not to be missed. Intense and full of heart, Tromp delivers a fresh voice in the world of fiction.” — Susie Finkbeiner, author of The Nature of Small Birds and the Pearl Spence Series

“With twists and turns as unexpected as an Arkansas thunderstorm, Tromp brilliantly explores the things war can change and the important things it can’t.” — Lynne Gentry, USA Today best-selling author of Lethal Outbreak

“A hair-raising, mind-bending psychological thriller, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp deftly explores a marriage torn asunder by war. Is a marriage worth fighting for when you cannot see the people your husband is fighting, or when you even become the one he is fighting? Tromp’s nuanced empathy elevates this story to another level and blurs the line between villain and hero, causing readers to ponder the lengths they would go to protect themselves, even against the ones they love.” — Jolina Petersheim, bestselling author of How the Light Gets In

“Shadows in the Mind’s Eye is an intense, beautifully written novel about secrets and sacrifice. A story about poignant trauma and truth potent enough to heal a broken family. A fabulous debut!” — Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of The Winter Rose and Catching the Wind

“With pitch-perfect dialect, lyrical prose, and homespun wisdom, Tromp delivers a slow boiling mystery that dares to ask the deepest questions about faith, love, suffering, evil, and hope.” — Elizabeth Musser, award-winning author of The Promised Land

“Tromp’s debut novel is the perfect blend of historical fiction and psychological thriller. Shadows in the Mind’s Eye hooked me early on and kept me enthralled until the very end. A story of war, of heartache, of love and healing, this novel will appeal to a broad swath of readers. Tromp is a new author to watch!” — Kelli Stuart, award-winning author of The Fabulous Freaks of Monsieur Beaumont

Author Janyre Tromp

In case we get to meet in person some day, you pronounce that first name Jan-air. Kind of like the stove. I’m a developmental book editor by day and a writer at night.

And that all happens from my kitchen table when I’m not hanging out with my husband, two kids, and slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog. Unfortunately, I spilled coffee on my super cape and then the dryer ate it. So you’ll just have to imagine I can do it all!

I have four traditionally published books—a WWII era novel, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye; a juvenile fiction, That Sinking Feeling; and two board books in the All About God’s Animals series—and 2 indie books—Wide Open, a historical novella and It’s a Wonderful Christmas, a Christmas novella collection (coming October 2021).

But my passion is writing about the beauty of the world—past and present—even when it isn’t pretty.

After all, isn’t it the beauty in the world that gets us through the day?

Hopefully after you hang out with me for a bit, we’ll be able to see things a little more clearly, find a little bit of meaning, and make a bigger impact.

With me what you see is what you get…all the Beautiful, all the Ugly, all the Me.