Wreck and Return by Tom Kranz

Probing the complex emotions of a first responder and the physiological strain of getting by in America today, Wreck and Return: An EMT’s Journey Into and Out of Darkness by Tom Kranz is a powerful narrative loosely based on the author’s own dual life.

Moonlighting as a volunteer EMT while navigating the career perils of local news broadcasting, Griffin Ambrose is used to stretching himself thin, as well as calming his mind with an evening drink or three before switching career caps. Living in two separate high-stakes worlds begins to fray his nerves, and when a tragic swerve derails his life, Griffin must face the truth of his behaviors if he wants to hold on to either identity.

A nuanced exploration of public service, addiction, marriage, passion, and self-awareness, Kranz’s novel is a gritty and unrelenting look at the risks we take and the lies we tell. The emergency sequences ring with urgency and authenticity, as does the vast majority of the emotional storytelling – Kranz has the gift of translating lived experience into a compelling narrative that is vulnerable and believable, despite not being a pure memoir.

A few scenes do feel redundant in their exposition, and others wrap up in awkward or abrupt ways, but the writing is generally strong. Revealing the inner struggles of a profession too often taken for granted, this is a deeply human story of reflection, recalibration, and redemption.

Book Links