Matthew Karge lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his family. He started writing For Loved Ones Left Behind many years ago shortly after his grandfather, a World War 2 veteran, passed away without ever telling about his time in the service.
All that was left were a few photographs and six-foot long German swastika banner covered in signatures from his grandfather’s friends during the war. These pieces led to research that uncovered a typical soldier’s experience at that time – both the horrific and terrific.
For Loved Ones Left Behind takes elements of his grandfather’s story and applies them to a fantastical world.
Story Synopsis
Historical Fiction Mixed with a Little Fantasy
In the summer of 1944, Frank Kaplan, husband, father, sweater salesman, and American bound by civic duty, enters the war as part of a platoon whose lieutenant volunteers them to liberate the first small village in German-occupied France. Their mission of glory suddenly turns deadly from an ambush by an unforgiveable German whose boots are covered in notches that he adds with every kill.
Frank is thrust into a fantastical war-torn world filled with monsters of men and beasts that threatens his life beyond bullets to fulfill the promises of his fellow soldiers and to find what happened to his best friend. Can he find the courage to push forward?
For Loved Ones Left Behind is an inspiring adventure story told through letters from a husband and father’s point of view that touches on the realism of war, the difficulty of courage, and the painful yearning for home. Matthew Karge’s first novel expertly weaves historical fiction with fantasy to create an unforgettable, life altering story.