Title:Cross Currents
Author:John Shors
Publisher:NAL Trade
Release Date:September 6, 2011
Pages:352
Source:publisher|My FTC Disclaimer
Purchase:Amazon|BarnesAndNoble
Rating:5 Books
About the Book:
Thailand’s pristine and remote Ko Phi Phi island attracts tourists from around the world, offering a haven to people from all walks of life. Yet even paradise has its perils. Struggling to make ends meet, resort owners Lek and Sarai are happy to give an American named Patch room and board in exchange for his help. But trouble looms when Patch’s brother, Ryan, arrives, accompanied by his beautiful girlfriend, Brooke. Lek learns that Patch is running from the law, and his mere presence puts Lek’s family at risk. Meanwhile, Brooke begins to doubt her love for Ryan, while her feelings for Patch blossom. The two brothers, once inseparable, clash over a choice that could alter their lives.
In a glorious landscape of sea and sky, where nature’s bounty seems endless, these two families are caught in the cross currents of conflict and change – and swept up in an approaching cataclysm that will require all their strength of heart and soul to survive.
About the Author:
After graduating from Colorado College, John Shors lived for several years in Kyoto, Japan, where he taught English. On a shoestring budget, he later trekked across Asia, visiting ten countries and climbing the Himalayas. After returning to the United States, he became a newspaper reporter in his hometown, Des Moines, Iowa, winning several statewide awards in journalism. John then moved to Boulder, Colorado, and helped launch GroundFloor Media, now one of the state’s largest public relations firms.
John has been lucky enough to spend much of his life abroad, traveling in Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, Africa, and North America. Now a full-time novelist, John spends his days writing and going on family outings with his wife, Allison, and their two young children, Sophie and Jack.
John’s first five novels, Beneath a Marble Sky, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, The Wishing Trees, and Cross Currents, have won multiple awards, and have been translated into twenty-five languages.
My Review:
Stunning. Absolutely stunning. That is the best way to describe this novel by John Shors. His emotional passion, his richly detailed events, and his tenderly created characters work together in a way that pulls the readers in instantly and takes them on an emotional, thought provoking journey.
Upon opening the pages of Cross Currents, I thought to myself, that I wouldn’t really like this novel. After reading more about it, I just didn’t think it would be for me. But, committed to giving this author a chance, I read it. When I closed the book, I was so happy that I didn’t pass it by. It really, truly blew me away.
Lek and Sarai were beautiful characters. They really showed the readers, through Mr. Shors detailed pages, what it’s like to try to make the best of what you have. Patch, the American staying with Lek and Sarai and their family, helping them out around their resort, was another passionately created character. Though Patch was in trouble and hiding out with Lek and Sarai, earning his keep, I still enjoyed his character. Watching him interact with the Thai family was awesome. It showed how two cultures can be brought together and really learn about each other, really interact and become friends. Enter Ryan and Brook, Patch’s brother and his girlfriend. Two more characters to fall in love with!
I loved this author. I am now a forever fan! This novel is so much more than just a great read. It’s a story that will leave you breathless, thinking about places far off, wondering what life is really like there on an island like Ko Phi Phi, what life is really like when you have to make ends meet. But it will also show you the TRUE power of friendship, of a devoted family, of sticking together no matter what the end result will be. I definitely give this novel a 5 Book worthy rating and will be putting it at the top of my recommendation list. I am anxious to go back and read more of this author’s work, as well as, seeing what he has in store for his new (and previously devoted!) fans.
