None of Us the Same

Book excerpt: Fiery Dublin nurse Deirdre Brannigan has opinions on everything. She certainly hates the very idea of war in 1914. But the crushing weight of a guilty conscience pushes Deirdre to leave Ireland, landing her directly in the fray. Across the ocean, childhood friends Jack Oakley and Will Parsons think it will be a grand adventure in France. The pals from Newfoundland blithely enlist. After all, the war can't possibly last long... Deirdre's long days and nights blur together on the hospital wards. As she relentlessly struggles to save young lives, her own unravels. For the Newfoundlanders in their fine new uniforms aching to prove themselves on the field of battle, the horrors of war quickly descend. Deirdre encounters Jack and Will when they’re brought to her field hospital the first day of the slaughter on the Somme, each silently carrying unimaginable suffering. Burdened with physical and emotional scars, their lives aimlessly diverge. Yet somehow, a glimmer of hope and redemption emerges when their paths cross once again in St. John’s. Although fragile and ragged, they are not beaten. None of Us the Same will leave you pulling for these battered survivors. Follow this unforgettable portrayal of love and war and resilience.