Obligation - Donald Stilwell

The protagonist of this novel, Kevin, starts off with several challenges in life and gives everything he has to be the best. He does his duty, no matter the difficulty, thanks in large part to the life lessons taught to him by his grandfather who raises him. Each time I thought I had the book pretty much figured out, the author Donald Stilwell upped the stakes and forced Kevin into some impossible situations.

Donald Stilwell writes a great story full of detail. I do recomend this book.

SPOILER ALERT (I try not to give details, but the rest of the review covers several sections of the book.)

As I read the book, I mentally divided it into four sections. In the first section, Kevin suffers the loss of his father, his autistic brother (and feels responsible), and his mother. His father is killed in action right at the book’s opening. His little brother dies in an accident. His mother suffers and dies of grief, but by this point Kevin is being cared for by his grandfather, a World War II Marine veteran; and this leads us into section two.

Section two of this book is the growth and development of a young man who will become the ultimate warrior. His grandfather, who you have to respect, teaches Kevin some of the coolest things a boy could want to learn: boxing, marksmanship, and golf. The golf angle surprised me and made me think this was the author sharing something he personally enjoys, but he makes it work. The main character, Kevin, learns the game with the same dedication that will serve him in the Marine Corps. The only problem for me is that I have only lukewarm feelings for golf. In section two, Kevin is taught how to deal with bullies and not to misuse his new skills. He makes a lifelong friend (important later in the story).

Section three (and section three b): Kevin loses another family member, probably the single best part of his life, and joins the Marine Corps. The Author rips  through boot camp without overdoing it, because boot camp stories have been done a few times. I was relieved that boot camp did not take over the book. (I read tons of these stories, both fiction and biography, when I was in college some years ago). Kevin is tapped for a special program. I should not say more, because that would be even more of a spoiler than the rest of this over long review.

I cannot tell you much about section four (keeping in mind that these are sections in my head, not in the actual book format), because this is where some of the most gut wrenching decisions are made. I would not want to ever be in Kevin’s situations).

Summary: I liked the story, the characters, and thought the training Kevin received was  excellent. There were some memorable moments when I was pulled along by tension in the plot.