A bittersweet wander down Memory Lane is what awaits readers of Butterfly Wish by D. Davidson and R. Marcano. Fifty years ago, two tough young men from New York were stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea. Although the conflict was long over, the experience of living in a country where life was valued so little and almost anything was available for the right price would teach them much about life and even love amongst the B Girls of the hovel of a village that lined the air force base. Both men experienced the camaraderie of belonging to a unit, but also the guilt and loss of living somewhere where they were neither wanted nor liked, except for their money. As seventy-year-olds, Manny and Shane return seeking forgiveness, redemption, or perhaps even some sort of reconciliation with those they had left behind.

I found this story to be very touching in places, but equally harsh and somewhat scathing of the attitude of US troops who were stationed in South Korea and one could imagine, by extension, to those who served later in Vietnam or were stationed in Japan, the Philippines or other Asian countries. The attitude of the US forces to the locals was incredibly stereotypical and most seemed unable to see beyond the thoughts of getting drunk and getting laid. Both Manny and Shane were good men at heart, but even they fell prey, at times, to treating the local women with disdain. One thing became clear, however. Their brief experience in Korea would shape these two men's futures. I enjoyed the writing and the frank retelling of events as they actually were without any attempts to gloss over or try to justify the horrors faced by the civilian population. It was hard hitting and yet deeply touching at times. In Butterfly Wish, Davidson and Marcano have brought alive something which very few of us will ever experience. An excellent job by the authors and a fascinating story.

Butterfly Wish: A Doomed Interracial Love Affair Set in Post War South Korea by D. Davidson and R. Marcano is an adult fiction novel with great elements of a thriller, a story that follows two men serving in the US Air Force. Stationed in South Korea from 1963, they are suddenly pulled into a world of crime and sheer exploitation. The reader is transported into a world of violence and sex, where loyalties and friendships are tested, and where the characters tread the slippery path of betrayal. Can Shane Brennan and Manny Veneto come out of this dark world unscathed? Follow these characters, decades later, as they return to the source of their guilt, seeking to make things right. Will they find forgiveness and is redemption within their grasp?

It is fair to say that Butterfly Wish is for mature readers. It features violence and unfiltered images of sex and degrading events. However, it is action-packed, a powerful romance with a great historical setting. I enjoyed the treatment of the setting and the authors’ gift for leading readers into surprising places, making them feel uneasy as they follow the characters. The plot is the work of great imagination, unpredictable and filled with unexpected and exciting twists. D. Davidson and R. Marcano have the gift for great prose and readers will be absorbed by the vivid descriptions as well as the wonderful dialogues. The story reads very fast, and is like watching an action movie. If you enjoy novels that are deftly written and well balanced, then you’ll find a lot of entertainment in this story. You won’t forget the characters and the places they have been.