Publisher: Yannick Thoraval (September, 2014)
Category: Literary Fiction, Climate Fiction
Tour Date: November, 2014
Available in: ebook, 312 Pages
Category: Literary Fiction, Climate Fiction
Tour Date: November, 2014
Available in: ebook, 312 Pages
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Peter Van Dooren’s wealth and
prestige mean that his family wants for nothing – except a husband and a
father.
When the president of a sinking
tropical island in the south pacific calls on the world’s most ingenious
entrepreneurs to help save his people, Van Dooren reckons his plan can save the
island and its people’s way of life.
If it works, Van Dooren’s plan will
not only make him richer, it could also change the very idea of nations and
borders. After all, changing the world is what Peter really wants to accomplish.
The thing is, not all of the
islanders share Van Dooren’s vision for their homeland. That won’t stop Peter
from risking everything to prove that nature can be tamed. Playing God may cost
Van Dooren his fortune and his own family.
While Peter plots a world away, his
wife, son and daughter sink deeper into their own personal abyss of retail
therapy, amateur pornography and Christian fundamentalism.
Everyone is adrift on the same tide
of greed, lust and fear. This is the current that shapes the world. It always
has; it always will.
Commended by judges of the prestigious, Victorian
Premier's Literary Awards for an Unpublished Manuscript and finalist in the
International Showcase Screenwriting Competition, 'The Current' is a novel about the difference between
having a house and losing a home. The style of writing is literary
(thoughtful but humorous), and will appeal to readers of Jonathan Franzen
(particularly Freedom), Ian McEwan
(particularly Solar) and Michel Houellebecq (particularly Platform). Stylistically, The Current offers readers a back and
forth split storyline and portent of danger comparable to Paul Thomas
Anderson's film, Magnolia (1999).
Praise for 'The Current':
“Ironic
and slyly, bleakly humorous. The Current is a story peopled by men and women of the Renaissance who
jog and contemplate their plane food and visit websites and shopping malls, who
seem both exhausted by and untiringly connected to their technologies. Gently
vexing and hauntingly memorable.”- Clare Allan, Writers Victoria
"The Current has all the elements of a literary mainstream novel that
demands the reader think about home, traditions, family, refugees and political
and commercial intervention. This is a story of belonging, of finding your fit
within family and your fit within the world.”–Amanda J. Spedding, Phoenix
Editing
About Yannick
Thoraval:
Yannick Thoraval is a professional
communications adviser and university lecturer.
Best known as an essayist, Thoraval
has publishing widely for both academic and general audiences.
He formally studied film, philosophy
and American political history, attaining a masters degree from the University
of Melbourne before leaving academia to pursue commercial writing interests. He
ended up working as a copywriter in marketing and communications.
Thoraval’s fiction has received
critical acclaim. His first screenplay, Kleftiko,
was a finalist in the International Showcase Screenwriting Awards. Judges of
the prestigious Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, Australia, highly
commended his first novel, The Current.
The novel draws from Thoraval’s
personal and professional experiences of working in the Victorian State
Government, particularly his work in international development with the nation
of Timor-Leste.
He is a career migrant and has lived
in the Netherlands, France, Cyprus, Canada and Australia. Moving
internationally from a young age has left him feeling culturally stateless,
despite holding three passports.
Thoraval is a quiet advocate for
refugees and asylum seekers. He is a founding member of the World Writings
Group, which helps refugees write about their experiences of forced migration.
He currently lives in Melbourne,
Australia, where he teaches professional writing and editing. He is working on his second novel.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/YannickThoraval
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008295216884
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008295216884
Buy ‘The Current’:
Excerpt For 'The Current'
Alma slipped the remote
control off its wall mount and pointed it at the fireplace. With a beep, the
flickering blue flame of the pilot light blossomed into the solid glow of
manicured flames. She sat on the sofa and nestled under a blanket. Her hands,
which itched incessantly, felt tight and dry as she scratched them. Alma has
moisturizers stashed all over the house, and the pot of moisturizing cream
nearby released the scents of lime, ginger, and lemon grass—the aromas of her
favorite day spa. But it didn’t matter how often she used them, her skin still
felt like an onion’s: thin and papery.
She picked up
the novel she had put down a week ago, skimming a few sentences to reorient
herself in the story. A fisherman, yes … his wife and daughter were in some
kind of plot against him … something about a mistress and buried treasure—it
was coming back to her now. She read a page, a long description of grey sky on
water, then put the book down again. She couldn’t concentrate; couldn’t
remember the last time she had been able to read a book from cover to cover.
Alma breathed
in deeply. Peter’s smell, that woody, perfumed soap he used, had evaporated
from the house. She missed the aroma now that it was gone. It smelled
masculine. Reassuring.
Alma turned
on the TV and began flipping through the channels, pausing just long enough to
hear snippets of dialogue:
“We just
haven’t known how to get—”
“… he did
tell him, in fact I heard him say it several times—”
“… up to
seventy-five per cent—”
“… of its
kind. Like most lemurs—”
“… looking at
a few degrees cooler tomorrow with a little morning cloud that should burn off
by about mid-afternoon.”
Keys jangled
at the front door. She turned off the TV, picked up the novel and cracked the
book to a page at random as she settled back into her cushions. Footsteps
echoed in the hallway.
“Stephen?”
“Hey,” he
said.
Alma slowly
folded the book onto her lap.
“Hi,” she
said. “You okay?”
Stephen
shrugged his shoulders. “Fine.”
Alma slid her
glasses up to her head. “Come talk to me,” she said, patting
the sofa.
“Mom, it’s
late. I kind of just want to go to bed.”
“Oh come on,
you have a few minutes to say hello to me.”
He sat in one
of the high-backed chairs across from Alma, his hands held tight in his lap. He
sighed. “What are you reading?” he finally said.
“Oh, it’s
nothing. It’s stupid,” said Alma turning the book over on her lap. “How was
your day?”
“Okay.” He
shrugged. “Yours?”
“Mine was
okay too.”
Stephen
fiddled with the string on the blinds beside him. He’d always been fidgety.
“Did you work today?” he said without turning around.
“No. I’ve not
been for a few days.”
“Oh.” Stephen
turned to look at the hearth. “How come you’ve got the fire going? It’s really
not that cold outside.”
“I like it. It’s pretty.”
Stephen
nodded.
“Are you
hungry?” she said. “There are some leftovers in the fridge if you want.”
“Thanks, I
already ate.”
Alma nodded,
studying her son. He needed a haircut, but … he was a good boy. She watched as his
eyes searched the room, his gaze settling on nothing in particular. “Oh, go,”
she said.
“Sorry,” said Stephen, rising from the chair.
“I just kind of want to get to bed.”
Alma waved
away his apology. “Kiss,” she said turning her cheek. “You can give one little
kiss to me before you go disappearing again.”
As Stephen
bent down, she breathed in deep, searching for the odor of anything peculiar
but smelled nothing out of the ordinary. He was a good boy. “Good night,” she
said.
“Night,” said
Stephen.
Alma listened
to his footsteps traipse up the staircase. They were slow and heavy,
comforting. She was glad he was sleeping in his room tonight and not in that
pool house. She shifted her glasses back and flicked on the TV.
The Current Web Tour Schedule
Teddy
Rose Book Reviews Plus Nov 7 Review & Giveaway
Pinky's
Favorite Reads Nov 10 Excerpt
Books,
Books, & More Books Nov 11 Review &
Excerpt
Lady in Read
Nov 13 Review
Housewife
Blues & Chihuahua Nov 17 Excerpt
Deal
Sharing Aunt Nov 18 Review & Excerpt
Inspire
to Read Nov 19 Excerpt
100
Pages A Day Nov 20 Review & Excerpt
Cassandra M's Place
Nov 24 Review & Giveaway
What U
Talking Bout Willis? Nov 25 Review & Excerpt
Two
Children and a Migraine Nov 26 Review
Thanks for taking part in the tour!
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