Can You Find a Better Version of Yourself From Across the Globe?

A review of PACIFIC ODYSSEY: The Curious Journey of Lew 2.0 by Chet Nairene

I had a lot of fun reading this novel because it was quite entertaining. It read like a movie. I typically set a timer for each editorial activity, so I don’t spend too much time on a particular task. However, I found myself repeatedly extending the allotment for reading this book. That was how riveting it was.

I purposely did not read the synopsis of the book nor any reviews from the retailer’s website to avoid preconceptions.

That’s why, after finishing the first portion of the book, I thought it was a financial crisis drama. You know, the stereotypical economic downfall with tales of hedge fund/brokerage/investment woes. It reminded me of the movie, The Big Short, starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt because it showcased the inner workings of the behemoth business enterprise, moral dilemmas, and the high stakes that come with it.

Once I got to the second part, however, it became clear that the initial section was just a backgrounder—the “cause” to the later “effect.” The tone shifted swiftly into adventure mode, with exotic locales, colorful characters, jungle creatures, and elementals thrown in for good measure. Now it was more like Joe Versus the Volcano, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

I had a bit of a lark trying to guess which Southeast Asian country the author was referring to, but realized he amalgamated the various cultures, national attire, language peculiarities, and mannerisms into one fictional nation. He called it Amazia. And no, it’s not pronounced “amaze-ya” but “uh-muh-zee-ya.”

I gave this book 4.5 stars because it had many elements of great storytelling: every chapter was “meaty,” it had loads of hooks that kept me reading, there was no over-explanation, and the scenes were cinematic. In fact, I recommend the author turn this novel into a screenplay. It has the potential to be made into a full-length feature film. I docked half a star from it because I expected conflicts to be resolved logically. Instead, the author threw in some supernatural surprises in the end, enforcing a deus ex machina.

Beyond this surface interpretation, I’d also like to delve into the deeper nuances of this novel. The author said his objective was to entertain, but, whether he was aware of it or not, the life stories of his characters are reflections of the ills of society. Even with his mention of smartphones and Trump, his delivery of those stories seemed like they occurred sometime in the distant past. The cheesy, 60s-style cover reinforced this. However, the issues he described, such as crooked entrepreneurs imposing monopolies, forcing small businesses into bankruptcy so they can take over entire regions, slavery, child labor, marrying off female family members to debtors to settle arrears… these are still happening today.

Ironic that I just reviewed another book totally different from this one—and set in a period so far removed from Pacific Odyssey’s era—yet they track the same theme: that of the strong preying on the weak. Abuse of power. Human beings may have come a long way since the beginning of evolution and yet at this moment in time, as we dot our stratosphere with satellites and prepare to invade Mars, we are still maltreating each other.

Social injustice and bestiality aside, I understand the author’s underlying message: that of a previously selfish, materialistic individual finding a better version of himself. Too bad he had to trek to the far reaches of the globe to attain this. It’s reminiscent of the novel, Eat, Pray, Love. The protagonist had to travel so far just to learn life lessons that people in Asia, Latin America, and Africa have known all their lives.