The Current by Yannick Thoraval Review

Publisher: Yannick Thoraval (September, 2014)
Category: Literary Fiction, Climate Fiction
Tour Date: November, 2014
Available in: ebook, 312 Pages

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Commended by judges of the prestigious, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards for an Unpublished Manuscript and finalist in the International Showcase Screenwriting Competition, 'The Current' is a novel about the difference between having a house and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 has pledged to donate 10% of the proceeds of this book to assist the settlement of refugees. 

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

Buy ‘The Current’:

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My Review:

This is the type of book that makes you think about politics and how sometimes the people in power have no idea what is going on. The fact that Peter was helping the poor while his family was blowing money on material possessions is really the point of the book for me. There were some funny parts, and they were placed in between the sadness of the author's message. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own. I also like that the author is giving some of the profits to charity.