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The story is written primarily in the first person to create a deeper connection for the reader to fully experience the emotions expressed giving cause for their own deeper reflection. However, cleverly, the author uses a unique style to revert to the third person when recalling memories, thereby involving the reader in a greater sense of the past and of a life different to the current story in the present - by recollecting and re-living the past for the reader in this way, it is as if the reader is experiencing the remembering of these times along with the narrator.

It is a for a similar reason that the author, purposely, does not build in too much detail the different personal characters and personalities of the subjects of the book, so in this way, the reader, subconsciously, becomes more involved and reflects some of their own personality and experience into the story – and so it becomes almost as if the reader is also living and experiencing this journey.

The story starts by seeing Dan arrive in style to the Hong Kong Hilton, feeling that he has now really achieved, that he has ‘made it’. But as the story follows him through many subsequent different events, he goes on to find that he is not satisfied, that life does not stand still; and that no matter what material successes he may have, there is always something new around the corner; until the story concludes with him understanding that he needs to try to just enjoy the Wonderful Journey that is life – this Wonderful Journey is the main principle of the story.

The author maintains a drive throughout the book with a constant change of pace; for example, moving directly from Dan’s hurt and bitterness at learning of Louisa’s planned wedding to the next scene of a pirate attack in the South China Seas with the two scenes linked by Captain Svenson’s romantic thoughts of his family at home; or subsequently, moving from the bliss and romance of their wedding to the horror of being caught in nature’s tsunami.

However, in addition to readers who just want a romantic holiday read, this story is also designed to really appeal to those looking to be intellectually stimulated. This is a very emotional book; full of many different feelings and emotions that we each experience and to which we can all relate. Covering many complex and wide-ranging issues, many seeds are sown early-on in the story such that, in addition to enjoying the storyline itself, the reader can pick up various threads which are picked-up again and developed later as the seeds grow and become clearer the further the story unfolds

Love: At its heart, this book is a love story of Dan and Louisa. Together with the narrator, the reader experiences their first meeting and their struggle with first love as we wonder if it can blossom and survive. We read the description of the feelings of young love, the anxious moments, the nervousness, not knowing whether this feeling is real, or whether it is truly reciprocated; questioning whether the concept of love at first sight can truly exist, from a mere glimpse or the flash of a smile. We then follow their journey as they try to find whether true love really exists, whether it can have any chance to develop and evolve. All these feelings of falling in love are feelings with which most of us are, hopefully, familiar and lucky enough to have experienced at some point in our lives – the uncertainty, the pain amid the joy.

The romance of the start of their love story is told via flashbacks and written in the third person both as a signal to the reader that it is from a different time; and also to generate a sense of suspense and anticipation for the outcome of their story. This style also involves the reader more deeply in re-living the past memories together with the narrator who has switched from the first person form to seemingly experience and recall these events along with the reader. 

But the story also examines the concept of love in different contexts; for it does not just recount an example of romantic love, it also examines the possibilities of love as the major principle behind many faiths; and even the need for all of us to be loved in some way. 

The Wonderful Journey of life: This book is about life; showing that life is not about ‘making it’ or ‘arriving’, rather that life is about trying to be happy, to enjoy the journey. The story demonstrates to us that life does not stand still, that it is there to be lived.

And the story shows the evolution that we all go through as we grow older, the growing-up we do through the different experiences we have; through the people we meet; the responsibilities of parenthood – the story is also a reflection on how our lives evolve and change with the passing of time and different stages in our lives, different chapters in all our own stories.

Choices: The work also displays that life is about the opportunities that present themselves along the way; and the choices we make, the bold steps we take; and those that we do not.

The character of Michael is designed to be a metaphor for the consuming nature of greed; and as we come to understand the pressures of temptation and the fine line between choosing a path of good and evil, we see Michael as a euphemism for how easily our lives can be influenced and corrupted by others and by different forces and desires, both good and bad.

The scene with Michael when Dan confronts him in the Chapter entitled ‘Ambition-Pride-Honour’ is inspired by the first scene of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds; what at first appears as an innocuous routine visit gradually unfolds to become far more serious as it eventually dawns on Michael that Dan knows far more than at first appears.

But in addition to the positive choices we take, the story also touches on self-doubt and the thoughts of fear that can stop us all from trying in various areas of our lives: not just the fear of physical harm; but also the fear of embarrassment, the fear of failure – never try; never succeed.

Faith: In addition to Love, the story also raises other emotions that we all must go through – of loss and bereavement; of grief. And through these thoughts, the story also raises issues of faith; how to reconcile loss; or the consequences of timing. Without drawing any conclusions, the story raises questions for the reader to reflect on the concepts of fate, karma, destiny and faith.

Depression/Despair: The stark chapter, ‘The Crash That Saved Him’, a grim story of alcohol and depression, is designed to show how we often hurt most those we love.

And of course, how we, ultimately, cannot be happy even with those we most love, if we are not first happy with ourselves. That despite the early romantic thoughts Dan has at the end of their first summer together, of how love will be enough, ultimately, it is not, that also you must personally be happy with who you are.

This section is also written in the third person to better describe the effect on the other people around the person in the depression – this gives the impression of this person being someone different to our narrator, someone outside of the character we have come to know. It helps to differentiate the difference in that person and the changes brought to him by his depression and by his drinking.

Motivation; Self-doubt and Belonging: A certain mystery is created around the past of the central character of Dan that is not fully revealed until near the end; but as his past returns in the Chapter entitled ‘Shadows of the Past’, Dan has to confront events from his childhood that made him runaway from home so many years before; events long forgotten, buried deep inside. This section is designed to encourage the reader to reflect upon what may drive each of us, motivates us; what events may have helped to shape us, form our morals perhaps, or push us to try to achieve; or maybe understand even the events that have suppressed us from being who we truly are or who we may want to be.

This section of the story also resonates with all our feelings of where we belong, provoking thoughts that many will ask themselves at some point in one area or another of their lives, in their work or in their families, questioning whether they belong; questioning their place. This chapter also draws together some thoughts given previously in the story, of battles for acceptance, similarities that both Michael and Dan had both shared earlier in their lives.

This chapter also touches on how easy it is for runaways, often victims of abuse already, to fall further into a corrupting world of drugs from which it is then so difficult to escape.

Conscience: The book also has a conscience; raising topical questions, such as the events of 911 and going to war in Iraq; but the story purposely avoids being political, merely raising questions from a humanitarian perspective for people to consider further themselves, it is both Relevant and Topical in today’s world.

The introduction of the character, Ahmed, albeit briefly, was to demonstrate the indiscriminate nature of the terrorists’ acts of 911, murdering people of all faiths. Whilst at the same time, Ahmed’s actions show, amongst all the evil, the positive side of human nature for selfless acts to aid our fellow man.

And the author’s clever use of grammar to inject an urgency into the commentary of dramatic scenes such as the tsunami and the 911 incident, helps to convey a sense of drama, turmoil and confusion, involving the reader in the unfolding events.

Nature: The story also creates a link between different forces of nature:
Nature’s emotion of love: - that can be thrust upon us without warning; and which can be both beautiful and wonderful to experience, as well as harsh and painful in its journey and the sadness of its final ending.
Nature’s wrath: - the devastating effect of a violent force of nature such as a tsunami or volcanic eruption compared with its sometimes indescribable beauty.
Nature’s circle of life: - the strange link between death and rebirth.
Nature’s selection: – the indiscriminate selection of the people nature chooses to take and affect with its diseases; the seemingly randomness of its choice.

Tragedy: Like many good love stories, this story is also a Tragedy. The tragic ending was decided upon to heighten both the depth and extent of Dan and Louisa’s love but also because in life such sadness, a parting, must inevitably occur.

The author says, ‘At the outset, I knew that I wanted to pull upon real feelings and emotions that all people experience to provoke thoughts and reflection in the reader’s own mind – uppermost in this was a desire to help people come to terms with loss and bereavement they may have experienced, to view the positive memories of those they had lost rather than become overwhelmed by the negative feelings of sadness grief. And it has been pleasing to hear feedback that readers who have lost loved-ones do take at least some comfort from the thoughts raised.’

And once the tragic ending was decided upon, initially to be from breast cancer, it was then subsequently rewritten after a colleague of the author sadly passed away, very young, to a brain tumour and the ending is influenced by her story to, hopefully, raise more awareness for the fight against this disease.

This book is truly a journey; emotional and powerful, it contains many reflections on life; but although raising many issues, the story purposely only seeks to provoke discussion in the readers’ minds, a quiet contemplation; and it does not seek to give a view. Indeed, it is as if the author himself is on something of a journey as he finds these different thoughts arriving within him.

It is a book that can be read more than once, each time finding some new thought. Different people will take different things from the book; and they can keep coming back to it, finding new things and new thoughts. This work is truly important; enduring and powerful, it is a new literary classic;
it will endure.