Beside a Burning Sea chronicles the fate of nine survivors of the sunken World War II hospital ship Benevolence. The survivors wash up on one of the deserted Soloman Islands and each chapter represents one of the eighteen days on the island. The novel opens aboard the ship, where nurses and sisters Isabelle and Annie are dressing the wounds of Japanese soldier Akira. They are discussing Isabelles husband Joshua, the ships captain, when the explosion occurs. Unbeknownst to the nurses, Akira can speak English and acts quicky to save the womens lives. We also meet Roger, a key character and the catalyst of the story. Some of the best moments of the book come when we gain an insight into his difficult past and his motivation for his devastating actions. There is romance courtesy of Annie and Akira embarking on their seemingly doomed love affair, and Isabelle and Joshua rekindling their dwindling romance. But by far the most touching and affecting relationship in my opinion was between Jake, a kind and gentle man, and Ratu, a young stowaway who boarded the ship when it docked in his homeland Fiji. "Big Jake" takes the young boy under his wing and provides him with emotional support as he worries about his father in battle. Jake is Ratu's protector and feels as strongly for him as he would for his own boy, taking on him on an emotional journey he never expected to experience. The impending sense of doom hanging over the characters seems to compel them to open up and face their true feelings and desires in light of their possible untimely death. Akira, in my opinion, is the most interesting and well written character. The writer gives us an insight into his past, which still haunts him and causes him to reconsider his loyalties and values. So much so that he resigns himself to having to lay down his life to protect Annie.It is clear the writer isn't concerned with the politics of war, but rather the effect of those caught up in it. The book could have been set on any island and during any conflict and the message would remain. The human spirit remains. Meh. I found the novel readable enough, but it fell flat. The story lacked an arc, the characters lacked dimension, and the storytelling was ham-fisted. There was never any doubt as to what would happen, or to whom. Character dialogue and internal musings were awkward and repetitive. The author expended a lot of effort toward telling the reader exactly what motivates each character every step of the way—I prefer not to be hit over the head by quite so many bricks when reading. Beyond the act of reading, I felt there was very little space to actually engage with the novel.
What do You think about Beside A Burning Sea (2008)?
This was a good book...not as well written as Beneath a Marble Sky with too much fluffy romance.
—Jane
Not as well written as Beneath a Marble Sky. The characters are a bit shallow and melodramatic.
—aniyahjenay
took a while but i just love the way jone writes but it was no comparison to his others
—kge92
I could not put this one down! LOVED IT! so amazing! He is such a gifted writer.
—jana
Thoroughly enjoyed - it's a "gotcha" from the start.
—fsdlafjsdlaj
