Review: ‘Vengeance’

Imagine finding out your brother died in an accident. You have to return to the place you swore you'd never go back to. Then, when you muster up the strength to face your family at the visitation, you find out the accident the police say happened doesn't seem to match with the facts. Instead, it appears your brother was murdered and now you feel that it is your job to get revenge.

Ethan hasn't looked back since he left Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and went to grad school in Arizona. There were a few phone calls home to his brother, Aiden, but mostly he left the horrible memories of his life there in the past. Returning home brings up all kinds of flashbacks and pain from Ethan's childhood and new revelations about the life Aiden was living.

Ethan's deep grief, shock and remorse over the loss of his brother oozes off the page. He tries to grasp first that Aiden died so young in an accident, and then at the visitation is told that maybe this wasn't an accident at all.

Prochaska expertly writes for a first-time novelist the pain of seeing someone you love lying still in a casket. These paragraphs give readers a brutal look into the emotions of those left behind. Ethan's feelings of disbelief and guilt fill the reader with sadness and yet encourage us to move through the pages as we hope that Ethan can find a peace with his past.

The novel starts slow without much fanfare as Ethan returns home. But it sets the reader up for a deeper understanding of Ethan's need to face some hard truths about his past, his decisions, and the influence those choices had on the family he left behind.

Prochaska takes readers through the hum of the city. Whether you are driving through neighborhoods or down First Avenue, you can imagine yourself riding along in the car with Ethan. He methodically gives readers the lay of the land so there is no doubt about the type of place Ethan may find himself - whether it is his father's home, a local bar, or the shady motel he is staying in. Cedar Rapids is given a part in this novel that is just as important as any other side character that he introduced.

'Vengeance” is less about finding out who killed Ethan's brother and more about Ethan finding himself. Prochaska draws you in with the emotions in the beginning and takes you for a thrill ride through the middle as revenge takes over. The novel ends with readers reflecting on their own relationships and the choices they made in life.