Cross Currents

Table of Contents

 

 

 

“
Cross Currents
is about the power of nature and the power of love—romantic, brotherly, and parental. You are held in suspense, watching the love between the characters grow, knowing that this love is going to be tested severely when the tsunami hits. And when it does, you are carried away by the clash of both forces in a maelstrom of riveting action. I loved this book.”

—Karl Marlantes,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Matterhorn

 

“John Shors has a great feeling for Thailand. The beauty of its geography and the pliant strength of its people are in every word of his novel
Cross Currents
, which is set in the days just before the tsunami. The suspense around what will happen to his characters (each with a vivid history and set of troubles) makes for a supremely readable tale.”

—Joan Silber, author of
The Size of the World

 

 

“An affecting and sensitively rendered study of grief and loss, the healing power of artistic expression, and the life-altering rewards of travel to distant lands. I was deeply moved by this poignant and life-affirming novel.”

—Wally Lamb, bestselling author of
She's Come Undone

 

“Shors's fourth novel is a moving, emotional story about coping and coming to terms with loss. Anyone who has lost a loved one will relate to this poignant novel.”

—
Booklist

 

“John Shors has made himself a reputation for re-creating exotic landscapes that surround heartwarming stories with captivating details.
The Wishing Trees
is no exception, as he replaces what might be a standard tale of recovery from loss with an alluring travelogue filled with colorful details of these chromatic countries.”

—
BookPage

 

“Poignant. . . . Country by country, their odyssey transforms into a journey of worldly healing and renewal, nurtured by the wisdom and compassion they discover in the cultures they pass through, and by the realization of the commonalities—hope, death, love—that bind all fathers, mothers, and children.”

—
National Geographic Traveler

 

 

“A touching story about, among other things, the lingering impacts of the last generation's war on the contemporary landscape and people of Vietnam. In a large cast of appealing characters, the street children are the heart of this book; their talents, friendships, and perils keep you turning the pages.”

—Karen Joy Fowler, bestselling author of
Wit's End

 

“A wonderful novel.... Shors transcends politics and headlines and finds the timeless and deeply human stories that are the essence of enduring fiction. This is strong, important work from a gifted writer.”

—Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of
A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain

 

“Amid the wreckage of what's known in Vietnam as the ‘American War,' Shors has set his sprawling, vibrant novel. All of his characters—hustlers, humanitarians, street children—carry wounds, visible or otherwise. And in the cacophony of their voices, he asks that most essential question: ‘How can we be better?' ”

—David Oliver Relin, bestselling coauthor of
Three Cups of Tea

 

“There is a tenderness in this moving, deeply descriptive novel that brings all those frequently hidden qualities of compassion, purity of mind, and, yes, love—the things we used to call the human spirit—into the foreground of our feeling as readers. This is a beautiful heart speaking to us of the beautiful world we could and should find, even in the darkness that so often floods the world with fear.”

—Gregory David Roberts, bestselling author of
Shantaram

 

 

“A master storyteller. . . .
Beside a Burning Sea
confirms again that Shors is an immense talent.... This novel has the aura of the mythic, the magical, and that which is grounded in history. Shors weaves psychological intrigue by looking at his characters' competing desires: love, revenge, and meaning. Both lyrical and deeply imaginative.”

—Amy Tan, bestselling author of
The Joy Luck Club

 

“Features achingly lyrical prose, even in depicting the horrors of war. . . . Shors pays satisfying attention to class and race dynamics, as well as the tension between wartime enemies. The survivors' dignity, quiet strength, and fellowship make this a magical read.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“An astounding work. Poetic and cinematic as it illuminates the dark corners of human behavior, it is destined to be this decade's
The English Patient
.”

—
Booklist

 

“Shors has re-created a tragic place in time, when love for another was a person's sole companion. He uses lyrical prose throughout the novel, especially in his series of haiku poems that plays an integral role in the love story, and develops accessible, sympathetic characters.... A book that spans two and a half weeks, set on a deserted island, easily could become dull and redundant. But Shors avoids those turns by delving into the effects of war on each character, causing readers to attach themselves to the individuals yearning for home and the ones they love.”

—
Rocky Mountain News

 

“[A] spirited debut novel.... With infectious enthusiasm and just enough careful attention to detail, Shors gives a real sense of the times, bringing the world of imperial Hindustan and its royal inhabitants to vivid life.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Jahanara is a beguiling heroine whom readers will come to love; none of today's chick-lit heroines can match her dignity, fortitude, and cunning.... Elegant, often lyrical writing distinguishes this literary fiction from the genre known as historical romance. It is truly a work of art, rare in a debut novel.”

—
The Des Moines Register

 

“An exceptional work of fiction . . . a gripping account.”

—
India Post

 

“Highly recommended . . . a thrilling tale [that] will appeal to a wide audience.”

—
Library Journal

 

“Evocative of the fantastical stories and sensual descriptions of
One Thousand and One Nights
,
Beneath a Marble Sky
is the story of Jahanara, the daughter of the seventeenth-century Mughal emperor who built India's Taj Mahal. What sets this novel apart is its description of Muslim-Hindu politics, which continue to plague the subcontinent today.”

—
National Geographic Traveler

 

“[A] story of romance and passion . . . a wonderful book if you want to escape to a foreign land while relaxing in your porch swing.”

—
St. Petersburg Times

 

“It is difficult to effectively bring the twenty-first-century reader into a seventeenth-century world. Shors accomplishes this nicely, taking the armchair traveler into some of the intricacies involved in creating a monument that remains one of the architectural and artistic wonders of the world.”

—
The Denver Post

 

“[Shors] writes compellingly [and] does a lovely job of bringing an era to life.... an author to anticipate.”

—
Omaha World-Herald

 

“A sumptuous feast of emotional imagery awaits the reader of
Beneath a Marble Sky
, an unabashedly romantic novel set in seventeenth-century Hindustan, inside the warm sandstone of its Mughal palaces.”

—
India West

 

“Shors . . . creates a vivid and striking world that feels as close as a plane ride. Most important, he manages to convey universal feelings in a tangible and intimate way. Shah Jahan's grief isn't just that of a man who lived centuries ago; it's a well of emotion felt long before Mumatz Mahal ever lived, and is still felt today. Shors's ability to tap into that well, and make it so alive, renders the novel as luminous a jewel as any that adorn the Taj Mahal's walls.”

—
ForeWord Magazine

Beneath a Marble Sky
Beside a Burning Sea
Dragon House
The Wishing Trees

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First published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, September 2011

Copyright © John Shors, 2011

Readers Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2011
All rights reserved

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