Yannick Thoraval, Author of 'The Current': Is On Tour. 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.

Publisher: Yannick Thoraval (September, 2014)
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Commended by judges of the prestigious, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards for an Unpublished Manuscript and finalist in the International Showcase Screenwriting Competition, 'The Current' is a novel about the difference between having a house and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 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’:

Amazon

 

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