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Edmund works as an Air Force consultant to the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense. Soon after his arrival, he becomes progressively short of breath and is whisked to the field hospital outside of Kabul. Ultimately diagnosed with life-threatening cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, medics rush to stabilize him as his mind drifts through the past: his childhood in Germany, meeting his wife, Anne, living abroad before moving back to the States, and then arriving and melding into the diverse and quirky team in Afghanistan. Each step of the way, the scent or sight of roses in bloom is tucked away in the background of his reminiscences. As his condition continues to deteriorate, and he is airlifted to yet another facility, he passes into a weeks-long dream state, where he meets angels, devils, and everyone in between as he makes the journey home.
Set in 2005, Mason's raw, heartfelt, and honest memoir recounts his brush with death, leading to weeks spent in a coma, and the lessons he learned during his travel to the afterlife and back. Poignant, thoughtful, and at times irreverently hilarious, this is an incredible story of one man's journey from the brink of death back to life. Mason masterfully blends memories, philosophical musings, and visions to create a dreamlike memoir, where it can be difficult at times to parse out fact from fiction. Some aspects of his story are not for the faint of heart, as it includes talk of rape and the casualties of war. However, although tackling heavy issues and deep philosophical questions, the author also sprinkles his work with humor and apropos remarks such as, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." With a sharp yet compassionate voice, Mason delivers a tale that deftly challenges and inspires.