What Have We Done

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Jenna can’t help but think of that night twenty-five years ago, the rain coming down. Donnie speaking for them all: To save their lives, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their past: a past that holds the key to everything. Pfft.” Tom grips the microphone, leaning as if he’s being held up by the stand. Donnie has a brief image of a younger man in the same pose. Even then, Tom was always bossing everyone around. The only thing that’s changed is Tom’s hair plugs, those white Chiclet teeth, and the tighter fit of his leather pants. As is Mr. Finlay’s style, the story in What Have We Done is told by shifting narrators, mostly in the present but with occasional memories to relate moments from the past. The alternation of narrators does a nice job of slowly revealing little morsels about what happened, the characters’ various secrets, and the occasional red herring. The writing is strong, and the short, staccato chapters propel the story forward. Suddenly, someone is trying to kill each one of them! With one dead and more attempts being made they realize no one is to be trusted. They’re on their own to get themselves out of this deadly situation!

Twenty five years ago, something dark was happening at Savior House, a group home for orphans in Chestertown, Pennsylvania, and several girls went missing. That is, until five teens—Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Arty, and Ben—found a way to put a stop to it. But now, in the present, someone seems to seeking revenge on those five. Ben has been murdered, and attempts have been made on the lives of the other four. Will they be able to figure out who’s hunting them down, and why, before it’s too late? The story is told in 3 POV's with Jenna, Donnie and Nico hunted by a killer. The Killer does have a POV in a few chapters that ties in nicely. I am sure that this book will find its audience, but I don’t personally enjoy Action movies, 🍿or books with this type of plot-so this was a MISS for me.We have to realize that the forgiveness that veterans hunger for does not consist in finding excuses for their behaviors or comprehending their full horror without flinching.

The book begins with a group of kids standing over a grave taking turns shooting a gun into its depths. Five kids fighting against a monster storyline reminded me of Stephen King’s “IT” ! Their reunion after two decades later after one of them dies also the similar storyline! Nico, Donnie, Ben, Art and Jenna ( four guys and a girl just like loser team) decide to fight against the monster and….Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down–after the disappearance of several kids–the three were split up. The author talked about how put-off he was by a combat vet telling him he couldn't understand, because the author believed we all are able to relate to moral injury. (I tried finding this in the book after finishing the book but couldn't find the exact location. So I'm rewording as best as I recall.) Later in the book, he writes about helping vets heal by having civilians listen to their stories, but training them not to say "I understand." Because you can't. And some vets only want to talk to other vets. Don't fault them for that. Let them find their own way to heal. In this “top-notch mystery thriller” ( Publishers Weekly, starred review) from Alex Finlay, What Have We Done is a tale about the lives we leave behind and the secrets we carry with us forever. Moral injury refers to situations whereby an individual transgresses their sense of morality, ethics or values, to achieve a real or perceived necessity, but which ultimately elicits in a profound sense of ambivalence, guilt and shame in it’s aftermath.