It is September 23, 1942 and the United States Navy Hospital Ship Benevolence is steaming through the South Pacific. A Japanese torpedo plane attacks and sinks the ship, despite its clear Red Cross markings. Only 9 persons survive. The Captain and his wife Isabella, a nurse; her sister Annie; Akira, a Japanese officer; Jake, an assistant engineer from the Deep South; Ratu, an 11-year old Fijian stowaway searching for his father; Nathan and Roger, two officers; and Scarlett, a middle-aged nurse with red hair.
We learn quickly that one of this number had betrayed the location of the ship. Roger - this revelation comes early and is obvious - is pure, unremitting evil with no redeeming qualities. All his thoughts, his efforts are dedicated to making himself a hero in the eyes of the Japanese. As a child, he lived in Japan and was always a gaijin, a foreigner who never fit into the culture nor was completely accepted by his classmates. His response was always violence toward his tormentors. Roger's Japanese contact is code-named "Edo," which is the old name for Tokyo. This is an apt name for it reflects a period of vibrant, growing Japanese culture for more than 200 years. The very name means bay or estuary, which is appropriate given the novel's location in the Pacific Ocean.
We learn quickly that one of this number had betrayed the location of the ship. Roger - this revelation comes early and is obvious - is pure, unremitting evil with no redeeming qualities. All his thoughts, his efforts are dedicated to making himself a hero in the eyes of the Japanese. As a child, he lived in Japan and was always a gaijin, a foreigner who never fit into the culture nor was completely accepted by his classmates. His response was always violence toward his tormentors. Roger's Japanese contact is code-named "Edo," which is the old name for Tokyo. This is an apt name for it reflects a period of vibrant, growing Japanese culture for more than 200 years. The very name means bay or estuary, which is appropriate given the novel's location in the Pacific Ocean.
His character contrasts sharply with the mission of the Benevolence, its captain and all of his crew. They provide the antidote to Roger's unmitigated evil. Yet, they are not without their difficulties. Captain Joshua and Isabelle have begun to grow apart. Akira, the Japanese prisoner, was a professor of literature before the war, falls in love with Annie who reciprocates.
In various ways the crew demonstrate their love for one another. The language is flowery and lyrical, some times a bit overwritten and too flowery for the setting and the business at hand. Generally, this provides another element of contrast between good and evil. "As the day aged…." "The jungle…swayed like sea grass." "A schizophrenic wind started and stopped and changed directions." This last presages the advent of a terrible storm that leads to the conclusion of the story. This use of a storm metaphor seems too trite.
In various ways the crew demonstrate their love for one another. The language is flowery and lyrical, some times a bit overwritten and too flowery for the setting and the business at hand. Generally, this provides another element of contrast between good and evil. "As the day aged…." "The jungle…swayed like sea grass." "A schizophrenic wind started and stopped and changed directions." This last presages the advent of a terrible storm that leads to the conclusion of the story. This use of a storm metaphor seems too trite.
The use of a haiku before each chapter, representing the 18 days of this story, is a particularly strong point of this novel and is reinforced by Akira's efforts to teach Annie how to write one. Consider the haiku which precedes the final chapter, Day 18, "Rebirth":
They say all things end,
But I say all things begin.
Warm winds carry seeds.
Beside a Burning Sea is different from Shors' previous effort, Beneath a Marble Sky. Marketed as a romance thriller, it should receive much approbation from those who enjoy that genre. It makes for a great read as one lazes around the pool or, especially, along the beach, a soft wind caressing one's face, a palm tree in one's sight, and imagination transported to a tropical isle where anything is possible in the name of love.
They say all things end,
But I say all things begin.
Warm winds carry seeds.
Beside a Burning Sea is different from Shors' previous effort, Beneath a Marble Sky. Marketed as a romance thriller, it should receive much approbation from those who enjoy that genre. It makes for a great read as one lazes around the pool or, especially, along the beach, a soft wind caressing one's face, a palm tree in one's sight, and imagination transported to a tropical isle where anything is possible in the name of love.
After graduating from Colorado College in 1991, John Shors lived in Kyoto, Japan where he worked as an English teacher for three years. He subsequently backpacked across Asia, exploring and learning about local customs. Returning to the States, he became an investigative reporter, winning awards for his work. He and his family live in Boulder, CO, where he writes and works as a public relations executive.
