The Wives is a harrowing read which reveals just how dificult it is for wives of men serving in special forces units. Not only do they have to deal with the many times their husbands are away, they also have to cope with the people their spouses become. The modern training of special forces soldiers is designed to make them efficient killing machines able to function in situations of severe stress. Many find it quite difficult to return to any sort of "normal" life in the times they are home. Add to that the bureaucratic and largely uncaring structure of the military toward spouses and you have a situation highly damaging to most marriages. Gorrindo details her own personal struggles in unflinching detail. She also describes the world the wives attempt to create among themselves as perhaps the best support group. This world is such a vastly different one that that experiences by the mostly citizen soldiers in previous wars, whose service time was more isolated from family contact and who returned when their tour of duty was over. Enlightening, but somewhat depressing to read.