Ces histoires montrent la guerre sous un autre angle - comment ceux qui restent doivent continuer leur vie de tous les jours avec espoir et crainte et comment les blessés retournent à la 'vie normale'.
L'auteur connaît cette situation de l'intérieur : Siobhan Fallon est l'épouse d'un officier qui a servi dans l'armée Américaine, y compris en Iraq.

Word For Wordpresents You Know When the Men Are Gone: two short stories, "The Last Stand" and "Gold Star", a world premiere production of stories by Siobhan Fallon.

Siobhan Fallon's stunning collection of stories was described by the LA Times as a "lovely and wrenching first book... gripping... compelling... extraordinary circumstances." You Know When the Men Are Gone provides an intimate look at life on an American military base through the eyes of the families of American soldiers deployed to Iraq.

These stories show another side of war – how those left behind must carry on in their daily lives in hope and fear, as well as what it's like for the wounded soldiers "returning to normal." The author has a first-hand knowledge of the military: Siobhan Fallon is the wife of an active duty U.S Army officer who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan.