←Recommendations of Backwards Forwards Back

Powerful examination of the burden of dealing with PTSD. Jacqueline Goldfinger has done an incredible job of telling a story of the harrowing journey to heal wounds that all too often seem impossible to heal.

An arresting solo play about a veteran and their struggle to heal the mind and spirit, and to make amends. We need this kind of theatre to spotlight the mental health of our soldiers and show that their transition back to normalcy takes time, session after session. The power is in the detail of VR sessions and that shocking event that almost ruined a family, and the pacing between past and present. It's a monologue on the edge, doesn't waste a minute.

This gripping, gritty, and deeply moving monologue honors the horrific impact of PTSD and the difficult journey to at least partial recovery. The Combat Veteran's breaking point and its consequences are truly heart-rending. I am struggling to do justice to the power of this work, both moment to moment and cumulatively. This is one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

I love any plays that so thoughtfully and craftily depict post-traumatic stress disorder. This tightly woven docudrama is absolutely soul wrenching. There were moments my heart lurched as I read through the pages. brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

Such tightly written and fully realized storytelling and characterization! Goldfinger manages to deeply honor and explore the trauma and healing and recovery this veteran is working through and they treat this character with care and tenderness while not avoiding moments that illuminate the deep and gutting horrors of that process. Perhaps it is trite to say I laughed and cried when I read it, but it's true! Most importantly, I saw a brave person struggling against incomprehensible challenges and achieve some seismic shifts by the end that were potent and moving.

I had been putting off writing a recommendation for this play until I found the right words and I'm still not sure I have them. This incredibly moving play haunts you in the best possible way. It stays with you days after you've read it. I really hope to see it staged one day.

This play has moments that absolutely gutted me. Such a taut story about the road traveled when soldiers return home carrying the ghosts of their tour. It's an engrossing piece that any actor will be proud to give life and the audience will leave questioning if the price of their freedom is too high.

An excellent account of the experience of PTSD after war and the recovery process to heal. Beautifully done.

A deeply powerful and often harrowing one person account of veteran PTSD. With her poetic language and vivid descriptions, Goldfinger crafts an exquisite play that focuses on trauma, recovery, and the very human need to connect, forgive and move forwards.