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Literary Friday: My Midnight Sun by John Shors

Friday, January 22, 2021


 

Happy Literary Friday, My Lovelies!  Today I'm reviewing one of my Christmas presents:  My Midnight Sun by John Shors.

According to Goodreads:

Life is good for thirty-year-old Owen Sterling.  But when tragedy strikes during his honeymoon in Thailand, the future he'd hoped for is shattered.  After time with his family and friends in America does little to ease his pain, Owen returns to Asia to try to make peace with his past.  A chance encounter unites him with Suchin, a young Thai woman battling her own demons.  Inspired by their unexpected connection, the unlikely pair of traveling companions journeys to Nepal, soon embarking on an extraordinary trek through the Himalayas.  Facing their own doubts, as well as everything from bandits to mudslides to illness, Owen and Suchin climb higher, their bond strengthening with each step.  But the shadows of their pasts continue to loom large.  And while both seek rebirth within a beautiful yet unforgiving land, neither knows if they will reach a legendary summit.  The climb could break them-or save them.

My Review:

My Midnight Sun was on my Christmas Wish List at our local Indie bookstore, and I was thrilled on Christmas morning when I opened it.  John Shors is the author of one of my favorite books, Beneath a Marble SkyIf you enjoy historical fiction set in Asia, I highly recommend it.  

I read in Shors's Author's Note that he wrote this novel based on his adventures backpacking through Asia when he was in his early twenties.  His agent was unsuccessful in getting it published; undaunted, he published ten other novels set in Asia during the interim.  COVID lockdowns gave him the opportunity to dust-off his manuscript and rewrite the beginning.  He decided to self-publish My Midnight Sun.  I enjoyed this book so much that I can't believe it was rejected by multiple editors.

A big chunk of this book is about hiking, and that is a topic I know very little about.   The two main characters Owen and Suchin set out on a quest to conquer the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal's Himalayan Mountains.  The first time I read the book blurb, I thought that the book might not interest me because of my limited experiences hiking, but I knew I would love Owen and Suchin because Shors is one of the best at presenting well-drawn characters.  I was very pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed reading about the hiking itself, every little detail from the medicines they had to pack to the beautiful descriptions of the landscape and trails.

The book starts out tragically as Owen loses his beautiful wife on their honeymoon in Thailand.  His grief is consuming him, and a friend suggests that he return to Thailand to begin healing.  That's where he meets Suchin, and she has suffered greatly, too.  On a whim Owen invites her to accompany him to Nepal.  I knew early in the story that there would be no happily ever after ending, yet their journey truly is magical and has a fairytale quality to it.  This novel is a must read because it reminds us that suffering is no match for hope and peace:  They heal brokenness.  


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Have you read anything good in 2021 you'd like to share with us?  Leave a comment below!


Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill




6 comments

  1. Sounds like a good book. Happy Friday. Have a good weekend. xoxo

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  2. This one sounds lovely, RJ. What a wonderful Christmas gift!

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  3. PS -- if you didn't see my post on the watercolors of Lord Baden Powell, check it out. I love his watercolor letters/journals!

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  4. Hope and peace are a powerful message...I love your herb filled ice skate :)

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  5. How sweet you received this book for Christmas. This book sounds like a good read and I always enjoy books that take me away to far away places.......

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  6. I am struggling to get through Things Kept in Jars so I can move on to the books I got for Christmas. I ordered some shelves and made our office space into a library for myself and moved the husband's home office upstairs once I found out he was going to be working from home for all eternity!

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I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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