Beside a Burning Sea
by John Shors
List Price: $14.00
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780451224927
Publisher: NAL Trade
From the author of the acclaimed Beneath a Marble Sky comes a new novel that follows a man and woman from separate worlds, official enemies yet helplessly in love…
One moment, the World War II hospital ship Benevolence was cruising through the Pacific. In the next, she was engulfed in chaos, split in two by a torpedo. A small group of survivors makes it to the deserted shore of a nearby island, including a wounded Japanese soldier who saved a young nurse from death. Akira has spent five years engulfed in blood and horror. Now, surrounded by those he is supposed to hate, he instead finds solace in their company. Sharing the mystery and beauty of his favorite poems with the beautiful American woman he has rescued, he watches as the others confront their own passions and demons. Meanwhile, a secret held by one of the castaways may determine whether any of them will ever see their homelands again.
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1. Discuss the significance of the title Beside a Burning Sea. Additionally, the original title was The Poet Makers. Which title do you prefer? Why?
2. Did Beside a Burning Sea provide you with a better understanding of World War II? If so, how?
3. Would you consider Beside a Burning Sea an antiwar novel?
4. Who was your favorite character and why?
5. Are you interested in learning more about haikus?
6. Is this a novel that would lend itself well to the silver screen? If so, who would you imagine playing the various characters?
7. Are you more interested in reading a novel set somewhere you haven’t been, or would you prefer a locale that you’re familiar with?
8. What do you think was the biggest challenge that John Shors faced when writing Beside a Burning Sea?
9. Did you connect more with Annie or Isabelle? Why?
10. Of the three main relationships in the novel (Annie and Akira, Isabelle and Joshua, Ratu and Jake), which did you most enjoy? For what reasons?
11. How effective was the character Roger as a villain?
12. What was your favorite scene within Beside a Burning Sea?
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"A master storyteller…Shors weaves psychological intrigue by looking at his characters’ competing desires: love, revenge, and meaning. Both lyrical and deeply imaginative, Beside a Burning Sea confirms again that Shors is an immense talent."
— Amy Tan
"John Shors is an author of sweeping imaginative force."
— Sandra Gulland, author of The Josephine B. Trilogy
