28.5.12

Book Review: Catching the Sun by Tony Parsons

How far must you run in order to find a new life?
When the Finn family leave their London home for the sun-drenched island of Phuket, Thailand, they're certain all their dreams will come true. But paradise has a heart of darkness and disasters made by man and nature conspire to shatter the tropical idyll- and tear their family apart.
I have read and enjoyed a couple of Tony Parson's books in the past so I was very interested to receive his latest one. I felt as though Catching the Sun had a slightly different feel to his other books but I still very much enjoyed the story.
Tom Finn relocates to Thailand with his wife Tess and their twins Rory and Keeva. He is greatly disillusioned with British life and Thailand initially seems like a paradise. I don't want to give the plot away but the Finn family soon encounter new problems in Thailand. Their family unit is placed under huge strain and it soon becomes apparent that all that matters is having each other.
I have talked about the fact that I tend to read books  by female authors with female lead characters. However, I have to say that Tony Parsons is one of the few male authors whose books I enjoy. I think that his male perspective on family life is extremely interesting and honest. . Keeva and Rory were  my favourite part of the book. I think that Tony Parsons used them to add a lot of humour and I love their innocent views of the world around them.
I have never been to Thailand but I could clearly imagine how it is due to Parson's vivid descriptions. You could tell that he had done a lot of research into the place, the people and the culture.
Catching the Sun was a very interesting read. Tony Parsons really made me think about the importance of the family unit and the values we choose to surround ourselves with. I would very much recommend this book.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a review copy, Catching the Sun is published on 7th June.

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