Tink's Tank

MWSA Review

Gary Best in his World War II novel, Tink’s Tank, has given us an enjoyable and interesting look into a young man’s experiences as a B-17 bombardier during the war.

In the context of an aging man writing to his granddaughter to finally tell her about his experiences in World War II, Best does an exceptional job in creating a setting that sucks the reader into the Lieutenant’s life in wartime England.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading his accounts of the protagonist’s adventures flying combat missions over Germany.

The bond that develops among the crew in insightful, and the main character’s off duty life in England paints a realistic portrait of a young man trying to find something to hold onto in the midst of the terrifying realities of the war.  I found myself cheering for the whole crew.  I recommend this book to everyone who loves historical fiction and to anyone who simply enjoys a good book.

Reviewed by: Rob Doerr (2015)

Author's Summary

Information provided by the author: Tink's Tank chronicles the adventures of the crew members of a U.S. Eighth Air Force B-17 during WW II.  The narrator tells his tale in response to a request from his granddaughter who is enrolled in a college course about the history of WW II.  He tells her about each of his fellow crew members, the people they meet during their war time experiences in England, the locale for most of the story.   Crew members of Tank’s Tank find themselves involved in experiences in London and between themselves that transform each as they fight to stay alive in air battles that test their courage and stamina as a crew. It is more than a coming-of-age story and more than a story of the air war over Europe—It is the interactions and connections of events, people, fact and fiction that foment growth, change and deliverance from the past.  Tink's Tank takes one on an adventure and returns the reader to post-war life through twist and turns in the epilogue.