Thailand's pristine Ko Phi Phi island attracts tourists from around the world. There, struggling to make ends meet, small-resort owners Lek and ... read full description
reviews
Nov 09, 2011
Ellen
rated it: 
I don't read as much as I used to (children, work, etc.) so when I buy a book, I expect a lot out of it. A friend had recommended Cross Currents to me, and because I wasn't familar with the author's work, I picked up the book with some reluctance. The cover definitely caught my eye. Though it took me maybe 15 pages to get into the book, I was hooked fairly quickly. Cross Currents is a beautiful story set in a beautiful place. The novel takes place in Thailand and revolves around two families (re
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 03, 2011
Romancing the
rated it:
Reviewed By- JoAnne
Copy Provided By- Author's Publicist
This was a wonderful novel about family, survival and love. The main characters were a family of 5 plus their grandmother from Ko Phi Phi island in Thailand and two American brothers. Shors did a masterful job of showing us the interactions between family members in their own family as well as between the two families. The vivid descriptions of the island, boats, restaurant, bungalows, the beach and the pier made you able to visu More...
Copy Provided By- Author's Publicist
This was a wonderful novel about family, survival and love. The main characters were a family of 5 plus their grandmother from Ko Phi Phi island in Thailand and two American brothers. Shors did a masterful job of showing us the interactions between family members in their own family as well as between the two families. The vivid descriptions of the island, boats, restaurant, bungalows, the beach and the pier made you able to visu More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 01, 2011
Deborah
rated it:
I'm a long-time fan of John Shors, having jumped head first on his fan-wagon when I cracked the opening pages of "The Marble Sky." I had never read anything quite like that novel. It was simply spectacular and I recommend it to everyone. Since that novel, Shors has continued to produce incredibly stellar work; most recently the slightly heartbreaking and amazingly soulful "The Dragon House" about a children's shelter in Viet Nam.
My expectations, then were very hi More...
My expectations, then were very hi More...
Sep 15, 2011
Michele
rated it: 
Spoiler Alert: Don't read if you don't want to know what happened.
Patch is a free-sprited American 23-year-old who takes a vacation in Thailand. In order to extend his time in paradise by a few weeks, he decides to sell some marijuana for profit. He gets caught, strikes a policeman, and runs off to Ko Phi Phi, a resort village on the coast. There he meets Lek, his wife Saira, her mother Yai, and their three children. The family is typical of Thailand. they are hard-working, happy, and More...
Patch is a free-sprited American 23-year-old who takes a vacation in Thailand. In order to extend his time in paradise by a few weeks, he decides to sell some marijuana for profit. He gets caught, strikes a policeman, and runs off to Ko Phi Phi, a resort village on the coast. There he meets Lek, his wife Saira, her mother Yai, and their three children. The family is typical of Thailand. they are hard-working, happy, and More...
Sep 11, 2011
Molly
rated it:
Stunning. Absolutely stunning. That is the best way to describe this novel by John Shors. His emotional passion, his richly detailed events, and his tenderly created characters work together in a way that pulls the readers in instantly and takes them on an emotional, thought provoking journey.
Upon opening the pages of Cross Currents, I thought to myself, that I wouldn't really like this novel. After reading more about it, I just didn't think it would be for me. But, committed to giving More...
Upon opening the pages of Cross Currents, I thought to myself, that I wouldn't really like this novel. After reading more about it, I just didn't think it would be for me. But, committed to giving More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 10, 2011
Cheryl
rated it: 
Lek lives on the island of Ko Phi Phi with his wife, Sarai, his children Suchin, Niran, Achara, and Sarai’s mother. Lek and Sarai owned and operated Rainbow Resort. There are not any tourists staying at the resort currently other than Patch. Though, Patch does not really count. Patch has been staying with Lek and his family for over five months now.
Patch is running from the law. He hurt a police officer and is trying to figure out what his next move will be. In the meantime, he is h More...
Patch is running from the law. He hurt a police officer and is trying to figure out what his next move will be. In the meantime, he is h More...
Aug 21, 2011
Louise
rated it:
A mesmerizing, poignant, life affirming read! CROSS CURRENTS will leave you with a thankfulness for your life and an awareness of the global tragedies that can pound us without warning. To one day be leading an idyllic and carefree life then to be thrown into a maelstrom of tragedy the next is a reminder to us all just how precious life is. Just how precarious our situations can be. Never take anything for granted because that very thing could disappear in the blink of an eye. Be thankful people
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 27, 2011
John
rated it:
Full disclosure here: I'm the author...
Cross Currents is a novel that I take great pride in. Here is a summary:
On December 26, 2004, one of the largest earthquakes in human history occurred off the coast of Indonesia, creating a series of massive tsunamis that struck countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Waves varied in height, some reaching almost one hundred feet tall. It is estimated that 230,000 people, representing forty nationalities, died in the catastrophe.
More...
Cross Currents is a novel that I take great pride in. Here is a summary:
On December 26, 2004, one of the largest earthquakes in human history occurred off the coast of Indonesia, creating a series of massive tsunamis that struck countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Waves varied in height, some reaching almost one hundred feet tall. It is estimated that 230,000 people, representing forty nationalities, died in the catastrophe.
More...
7 comments
like
(13 people liked it)
Nov 10, 2011
Staci
rated it:
First thoughts when I finished this magnificent novel: "I'm a damn emotional wreck!"
I have to say that I'm blown away by Shors writing. I could kick myself for waiting so long to experience his talent but now that I have, I will be reading all of his books. I'm amazed at how he was able to lull me into this sense of peace and beauty. I could imagine myself on the beach in Ko Phi Phi. I could smell the wonderful food that Sarai made for her guests and family. I could hear t More...
I have to say that I'm blown away by Shors writing. I could kick myself for waiting so long to experience his talent but now that I have, I will be reading all of his books. I'm amazed at how he was able to lull me into this sense of peace and beauty. I could imagine myself on the beach in Ko Phi Phi. I could smell the wonderful food that Sarai made for her guests and family. I could hear t More...
Sep 07, 2011
Serena
rated it:
Cross Currents by John Shors is set in the paradise of Ko Phi Phi in Thailand in 2004 as the lives of two families — struggling resort owners Lek and Sarai and brothers Patch and Ryan — cross paths. In paradise anything seems possible, especially for Patch who is running from the Thai police after a stupid mistake, but even more so for Lek and Sarai’s children with so much ahead of them.
From the moment readers enter Shors’ world, readers are engrossed in the sand, the sun, the stars More...
From the moment readers enter Shors’ world, readers are engrossed in the sand, the sun, the stars More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 03, 2011
Sally
rated it:
John Shors has hit another home run with CROSS CURRENTS! This was a delightful book set in Ko Phi Phi, Thailand in December 2004. From the location and the time frame, you might think it's a book about the tsunami that swept for thousands of miles at that time, but, while that is part of the story, it is not all of it by any means. The tsunami happens in the last eighth of the book (approximately).
Most of the book is a simple, but complex story of love and families. The Thai peop More...
Most of the book is a simple, but complex story of love and families. The Thai peop More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 15, 2012
Sherrie
rated it:
This book is all about a Thai family of simple means - Lek, Sarai, and their three children who make a living running an island tourist `resort' on the island of Ko Phi Phi. Lek has given Patch, he's on the run from the cops over a bad drug deal, a place to live for now. Patch helps around the resort and keeps the children occupied. Ryan, Patch's brother, is coming to make him see that he has to turn himself in to the law. But there is a monkey wrench in this. Patch falls in love with Ryan's gir
More...
Oct 20, 2011
Anita
rated it:
The back cover of “Cross Currents” includes blurbs from bestselling authors Wally Lamb and Amy Tan. They must recognize what I also see in Shors: a talented author who makes distant lands feel close to home.
“Cross Currents” is set on the Thailand island of Ko Phi Phi, a popular tourist destination. In December 2004, the island was hit by a tsunami that killed approximately one-third of the island’s 10,000 residents and visitors.
The majority of the book leads up to that fa More...
“Cross Currents” is set on the Thailand island of Ko Phi Phi, a popular tourist destination. In December 2004, the island was hit by a tsunami that killed approximately one-third of the island’s 10,000 residents and visitors.
The majority of the book leads up to that fa More...
Oct 18, 2011
Meg
rated it:
John Shors' Cross Currents is a hair-raising, memorable and atmospheric novel that transported me directly to Thailand. Most of us remember what happened on Dec. 26 -- an 9.1-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean created devastating tsunamis that ripped through most countries bordering the sea. More than 230,000 people in 14 countries were killed, with Indonesia being the hardest hit.
But this isn't just a book about the disaster. Every chapter -- every page -- brims with the certain More...
But this isn't just a book about the disaster. Every chapter -- every page -- brims with the certain More...
Jun 14, 2011
Christa
rated it:
As a book critic, I am sent many novels, some of which I read and enjoy, but do not have the space to review. Cross Currents is such a novel. I adored this story, which is set in Ko Phi Phi, Thailand, and involves a variety of characters--young and old, Thai and American, male and female. As the story progressed I felt increasingly connected with these characters, and by the time the wave hit, I was reading late into the night and stayed up until I finished. This is rare novel--both lyrical and
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
May 11, 2011
Gail
rated it:
I was lucky enough to get an early read of Cross Currents, which takes place on a beautiful island in Thailand. As far as I know, this is the first novel about the 2004 tsunami. But it's more than just a story about the wave. It's really a novel that centers on the lives of three Americans and six Thais in the days leading up to the tsunami, and the reader becomes very much caught up in these lives, and roots for these characters in the face of such a calamity. This is foremost a novel about hop
More...
Nov 10, 2011
Sandi
rated it:
It’s really hard to review a book that turned out not to be the book you thought you were reading. I knew that this novel was about Ko Phi Phi, an island that was decimated in the 2004 Indonesian tsunami. It’s part of the blurb and part of the author’s introduction. So, I kept waiting for that darned wave. Unlike the characters, I knew it was coming. About halfway through, I looked up the date that the tsunami occurred so I would know how close it was. I grew quite impatient for the devast
More...
Nov 11, 2011
Meg - A Bookish Affair
rated it:
Oh boy, this book absolutely sucked me in. Stors sets the scene on a gorgeous tropical island in Thailand. This sounds like a place that I would love to visit. Gorgeous beaches, clear water, yummy food. Stors then introduces us to some wonderful characters. There are the American brothers: Ryan and Patch. There is the gorgeous American woman: Brooke, Ryan's girlfriend. Then there is the Rainbow Resort family: Sarai and Lek and their 3 cute little children and the incomparable grandmother, Yai. S
More...
Jan 22, 2012
Jessica
rated it:
Set in beautiful Ko Phi Phi, an island in Thailand, Lek and Sarai struggle to make ends meet as resort owners on the picturesque island. Kind people, they are more than happy to take in Patch, a young American in exchange for his help around the resort. What Lek and Sarai don’t know is that Patch is running from the law after committing a crime. But even still, Patch is a decent man, and quickly grows close to Lek and Sarai and their two small children. When Ryan’s brother and his girlfriend Bro
More...
Sep 06, 2011
Grady
rated it:
Nature/Nurture: John Shors Finds the Relationship Again
John Shors has secured his place among popular American novelists of the decade with this his sixth novel that combines a growing respect of the beauties of the globe and the intricacies of the manner in which characters seemingly misplaced in locales seek to find themselves only to discover that their place in the confusion of the world is close at hand, partially shaded by nature's vagaries.
CROSS CURRENTS is Shors More...
John Shors has secured his place among popular American novelists of the decade with this his sixth novel that combines a growing respect of the beauties of the globe and the intricacies of the manner in which characters seemingly misplaced in locales seek to find themselves only to discover that their place in the confusion of the world is close at hand, partially shaded by nature's vagaries.
CROSS CURRENTS is Shors More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 04, 2012
Matt
rated it: 
I wanted to like this book, but I could barely muster the strength to finish it. The writing was elegant, I will say that much. But for a novel which captures one of the most catastrophic natural events in history, I found it dull and flat. And I mean, painstakingly flat.
For one, the descriptions became repetitive to the point of predictability. And second to that, the characterizations remained weak and underdeveloped. All I wanted was for the novel to be more fleshed out and real. Tragic yes, More...
For one, the descriptions became repetitive to the point of predictability. And second to that, the characterizations remained weak and underdeveloped. All I wanted was for the novel to be more fleshed out and real. Tragic yes, More...
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 25, 2011
Kristin
rated it:
I liked this book, and I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if it was an option. It's the story of a Thai family and an American guest (with his visiting brother and his girlfriend) in the days leading up to the Christmas Tsunami. Their small guesthouse. So you know what's coming, get attached to the characters and are counting down the days, waiting to see how the tsunami will affect all of their lives. I really did like the story, found it a good, honest example of Thais and tourists/westerners interac
More...
Jan 12, 2012
Adriana
rated it:
I wond this novel through Goodreads.
In a few words" I was swept away by this novel"! Not only is it about love, loss, sacrifice, and family but John Shors writes with such passion that it takes you into the plots and makes you feel like your going through the love one minute and the great loss the next. Breathtaking and not one to miss!
In a few words" I was swept away by this novel"! Not only is it about love, loss, sacrifice, and family but John Shors writes with such passion that it takes you into the plots and makes you feel like your going through the love one minute and the great loss the next. Breathtaking and not one to miss!
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 22, 2011
Elise
rated it:
Lyrical writing paints a beautiful picture of both relationships and location in this wonderful novel. Each time I picked up the book I could feel the warmth of the beach, smell the ocean scent. The love stories portrayed throughout the novel buoyed my spirits. Family love, romantic love, devotion to others were all depicted in a way which made me that much more grateful for the loves I have in my life. "Cross Currents" is a novel that took me away from the here & now and left me with
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Sep 12, 2011
Jane
rated it:
I enjoyed the book but would have preferred to read about what happened after the tsunami and how it affected people. The tsunami came at the end of the book. I did learn about the culture of the Thai people.
Nov 30, 2011
Nikki
rated it:
I admit that I probably added a star because I felt like I was on my vacation island in Mexico. The fragile beauty that can be wiped out with a natural disaster makes you appreciate how special a place can be.
Feb 20, 2012
Karla
rated it: 
A fictional account of some of the residents/visitors in Thailand around the time of the tsunami. I really liked the author's "Beneath a Marble Sky", but I have since read two of his other books and in both of them the characters just fall a little flat and the plot is too predictable.
Nov 28, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
I felt the story was a little weak in the beginning, but I was drawn to the characters. The description of the tsunami was gut wrenching and I have to admit I shed some tears. Overall, I felt it was well written.
Nov 25, 2011
Too much to read! I never started (so I didn't rate) because it was due -- reviewers spoke of a wonderful sense of place but predictable plot.
Nov 01, 2011
Lyn
rated it:
By the same author as Under the Marble Sky but not as good. Follows a Thai family each day beginning the week before the tsunami strikes.
