Found Not Lost

I read this book a few months ago and since I have been on an unplanned break of sorts, I am just getting around to posting some reviews. My sister’s birthday just passed and while brainstorming for possible gifts for her, I immediately thought of this book given her nature to support causes for children.

You’ll see by reading the summary for this book that it is a story within a story, within a story. I loved how the different stories were masterfully woven in this novel. I couldn’t put the book down, almost holding my breath to see what would happen next. I felt outraged at the atrocities, but there were also many touching moments that brought tears to my eyes. Books that elicit emotions are rare and this once certainly accomplishes that with characters that are sympathetic and very easy to relate to. John Shors is a master at painting pictures with words. I felt like I was right there in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City with it’s smells, noise and activity. This story was well crafted by a master story teller.

Book Title: Dragon House
Author: John Shors
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0451227859
ISBN-13: 978-0451227850

Summary:
Set in modern-day Vietnam, Dragon House tells the tale of Iris and Noah—two Americans who, as a way of healing their own painful pasts, open a center to house and educate Vietnamese street children.

Iris and Noah find themselves reborn in an exotic land filled with corruption and chaos, sacrifice and beauty. Inspired by the street children she meets, Iris walks in the footsteps of her father, a man whom Vietnam both shattered and saved. Meanwhile, Noah slowly rediscovers himself through the eyes of an unexpected companion.

Resounding with powerful themes of suffering, sacrifice, friendship, and love, Dragon House brings together East and West, war and peace; and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

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 two novels, Beneath a Marble Sky, and Beside a Burning Sea, have won multiple awards, and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

This book was provided for review by the author.

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