“Don’t Tell” by K.A.Kron— Love in the Service

Amos ♦ June 21, 2011 ♦ Leave Your Comment

Kron, K.A. “Don’t Tell”, Lethe Press, 2011.

Lovd In the Service

Amos Lassen

 

I find it somewhat surprising that we have had very few novels written about gays in the military and K.A.Kron fills that gap with this novel about military life, combat and the “impact the ban had on gay and lesbian lives”.
Gray Edwards did not think about love when she came to basic training but she met Annie Randall, her opposite, and before they knew it, the two indeed fell in love. When you think o basic training, you certainly do not visualize an ideal setting or love to bloom. Annie and Gray each go after their own goals in the military and they also realize that because of their location, it will be even harder than expected. Gray dreams of becoming a pilot and she befriends Dani in the process. At the same time, Annie works at becoming a doctor.  When their courses are over, they both realize the reality of where they are and think about the future. Gray and Dani are soon deployed. Annie wants then to serve together and fights for it to happen.

This is Gray’s story but both Annie and Dani play crucial parts in it and most of it takes place during basic training. Gray’s life had always been about the military—she grew up with parents who had military careers and is really the only life she has ever known and it is all she has ever wanted. We are part of Gray’s story both in the United States and abroad. There are surprises here and Kron’s plot and character development are excellent. Kron knows the story well as it is her military life that served as an impetus to write this novel. The writing is excellent as well and we get a real inside look of military life.