Cross Currents
Author: John Shors
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Set in beautiful Ko Phi Phi, an island in Thailand, Lek and Sarai struggle to make ends meet as resort owners on the picturesque island. Kind people, they are more than happy to take in Patch, a young American in exchange for his help around the resort. What Lek and Sarai don’t know is that Patch is running from the law after committing a crime. But even still, Patch is a decent man, and quickly grows close to Lek and Sarai and their two small children. When Ryan’s brother and his girlfriend Brooke travel to Thailand, everything changes. Ryan wants Patch to take responsibility and turn himself in to the authorities. Patch disagrees and Brooke gets caught in the middle when she finds herself falling for her boyfriends younger brother.
All the while, disaster is about to strike…
Many of you likely remember seeing television footage of the horrible 9.1 earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean in December 2004 killing more than 230,000 people. I remember watching in horror thinking of the many people whose lives were changed forever in an instant. While this isn’t the kind of book I normally read and review, something about this book pulled at me, and I knew I had to accept it when I received a review request.
Warning: you will want to visit Thailand immediately after finishing CROSS CURRENTS. The absolutely stunning setting was one of my favorite parts of reading this book. Shors beautifully describes the island of Ko Phi Phi, so much so that so that it almost takes on a life of its own as one of the main characters in the story.
This book succeeded in making me want to learn more about Thai culture. I quickly fell in love with Lek, Sarai and their children, and enjoyed reading about how they worked so hard to put food on the table for their family, but smiled and enjoyed every minute of their lives. Their loving relationship and willingness to do anything to make their family happy was admirable. Patch was a welcome American addition to the family…I love how Lek and Sarai welcomed him in with open arms, and how Patch took care of the entire family as if they were his own.
Ryan definitely wasn’t my favorite character throughout the story. I knew he and I weren’t going to get along when he insisted on checking his email in beautiful Thailand in favor of exploring with his girlfriend Brooke. No thank you! Even though I didn’t like Ryan’s attitude in the beginning of the book, I loved watching him grow and change. By the end of the book, I was almost in tears after his heroic actions and his love of his brother.
My least favorite part of this book was the pace. While I enjoyed learning about the stories of each of the main characters, the entire book, I knew disaster was approaching and I felt that anticipation, but when it finally arrived, the book ended abruptly. From the description on the back of the book, I thought I’d see more action and more of what happened during the actual wave and the aftermath of the destruction. However, even though I would have liked to see more action, I appreciated the author’s skill in creating a serious sense of anticipation. With each new chapter, I felt my stomach turn just knowing what was coming.
Although I didn’t love the pace of the book, Shors expertly told the stories of five very different characters. When I put the book down, I truly felt like I knew each of them, their struggles and desires. Ultimately, I realized, this wasn’t a story about a disaster or destruction; it was a story about the good naturedness of people and how even the most unlikely people come together to help one another.
3/5
*Review copy provided by publicist.
Like you, I spent this entire book waiting for disaster to happen — and that left me feeling antsy and nervous, though it also forced me to tear through this novel at break-neck speed! I really loved this book and felt for the characters, and I absolutely want to see Thailand now. I spent a while Googling images of the island after finishing!