Add to your library
Bookmark or share this book:
Share on Facebook
Tweet
Share on Google+
Save this on Delicious
Published: May 31, 2011
Words: 75,403 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9780983707608
Short description
American Matt Reiser travels to The Ivory Coast on a mission to locate his estranged son. His only guide is a three-year old postal address. Fighting cultural vertigo and disorientation at the Abidjan airport, he relies on a glib and persistent limo driver who speaks just enough English to gain Matt's trust. The next morning, Matt wakes up drugged, robbed, and dropped into a grim city slum.Extended description
American Matt Reiser travels to The Ivory Coast on a mission to locate his estranged son. His only guide is a three-year old postal address. Fighting cultural vertigo and disorientation at his arrival at the Abidjan airport, he relies on a glib and persistent limo driver who speaks just enough English to gain Matt's trust.The next morning, Matt wakes up drugged, robbed, and dropped into a grim city slum. Without ID, without money, and with no idea where to turn, Matt forges unlikely alliances which take him on a perilous journey out of the city and through the backcountry, where he struggles to continue his quest for his son.
Tags
thriller, adventure, africa, father and son, mali, cote divoire, abidjan, ouagadougou, sahel, passport theft, mungo park, estranged sonAvailable ebook reading formats
Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.| Format | Full Book | Sample First 8% |
|---|---|---|
| Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser) | Buy | View sample |
| Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) | Buy | Download sample |
| Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps) | Buy | Download sample |
| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Buy | Download sample |
| PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing) | Buy | No sample available |
| LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub) | Buy | Download sample |
Reviews
Log-in to write a Review Log-in to add a Video Review
Review by:
Rex Evans Wood
on Aug. 05, 2012 :
I hate to be the lone naysayer, but I'm at 50 pages and ready to dump it. The problem: It feels like the characters are behaving in ways required by the plot, rather than in ways true to their character. The behavior just doesn't ring true. We've all heard of stories being character driven, and authors who say the characters decided the story direction. I get quite the different feeling here. The characters feel like square pegs being forced into the round holes dictated by the plot outline, and I consequently have a very hard time caring about the central figure. Also, near page 50, we get a scene that seems to serve no story purpose ... and it gave me the feeling it was an event witnessed by the author and included to provide a sense of place. Well, I'm all for authenticating detail, but the key word is "detail." In my opinion, devoting a scene to such content is a mistake if it doesn't advance the story. I'm clearly in the minority, however, and if such concerns don't bother you as a reader, then go for it. On a positive note, the writing is generally quite sound ... rarely any distraction caused by cumbersome sentences, poor mechanics, etc.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Sandra Stiles
on May 16, 2012 :
This was a great book. From the very beginning the reader is grabbed and held in suspense. Matt Reiser has been sent on a mission to Africa to find a son who obviously doesn’t want to be found. It has been three years since Karl last communicated with his parents. His mother’s dying wish is to see her son before the cancer takes her life. When she contacts Matt, her ex-husband, and asks him to fly to Africa and track him down, he doesn’t want to. Matt and Karl have not had the best relationship for several years.
Matt steps off of the plane and into a corrupt world unlike anything he has ever seen. He is mugged, robbed of his money, passport, and the letter his ex-wife sent for their son. They even took his shoes. He doesn’t know who to trust. Then he meets Jean-Louis, the concierge at the hotel. What starts out seeming like help drives him deeper into the corrupt world around him.
This book is so much more than just a good read. In this book you are transported to places you may never see. You are thrown into a world we have only heard exists. You have to ask yourself if you would survive the ordeals the protagonist goes through. You will end up taking a look at all you hold dear, all you value and asking yourself if you have done all that you can for the people you love. You must read this book to see if he finds his son. You must read this book to take a look at the corruptness of a country we know so little about. You must read this book to find yourself.
I will most definitely recommend this book. I was unable to put it down from the minute I started it. It is not a really long book. However, it will grab you and hold you from the first pages. I had not heard of this author but I will most definitely look for more from him.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Cindy Rinaldi
on July 29, 2011 :
In 1979, when American Matt Reiser lands in Africa to search for his son, he quickly finds himself beaten and robbed of everything from his passport to his shoes. Haunted by regrets, Matt is on a quest for redemption and the robbery triggers a chain of events that takes Matt on a dangerous journey across international boundaries without a valid passport. A dubious hotel concierge and his street-smart niece seem to want to help Matt, but their lives collide in a pivotal moment that sends Matt running from thugs and government officials through urban and rural Africa in a life-changing adventure. Surprising twists hurl strong characters through colorful sights, smells and sounds of a time gone by. “Facing the Son” delivers a great roller coaster ride that is a testament to a father’s love for his son and his son’s mother in a story is that is compelling, heartwarming and bittersweet.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Ian Berman
on July 20, 2011 :
What a great book. From the outset the reader is put in suspense with what has got to be any travelers worst nightmare – and then in a country as foreign as one can imagine. This book has a lot to offer including understanding the challenging conditions in Africa, a traveler put completely outside his comfort zone, and a father’s struggle with his broken relationship with his son. The story continues throughout to take new unexpected turns and one quickly gets to a point where you cannot put it down until completed.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Penelope Greer
on July 18, 2011 :
Top of the line work. I loved it. Keep on putting out books- PLEASE!
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Katie Tingley
on July 16, 2011 :
I really liked this book. I felt like the author knew about the places in the Ivory Coast and Mali and Upper Volta. I liked most of the characters. I liked reading about what it's like to lose everything in a place so far away from all you know and having to fight your way back. What would you do if you lost everything in a foreign country where you didn't speak the language?
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
K Anthony
on July 16, 2011 :
I read this book on Kindle. It's a great read. Quick pace. Runs through Africa in a way I never imagined it. Caught me off guard a couple of times with the twists in the tale, but in a good way. Matt starts out pretty naive but I like the way he grows through the experiences. Definitely recommend it.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Tom Gething
on July 14, 2011 :
Africa has always seemed a long way away from the US, and a little intimidating for that reason. One sees news of the violence, corruption and dire poverty that plague the continent. Facing the Son, which takes place in West Africa in the 1970s, does not gloss over these aspects of life there, but the novel is also a heart-warming, positive story about an American father’s struggle to reconnect with a son who has chose to distance himself from his family as a Peace Corp volunteer. The pace is quick and the plot keeps turning as much as the roads traveled, right up to the end. Liked it so much, I read it twice!
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Dktwit
on July 13, 2011 :
This is a well-paced story that brings to life a part of the world I have little experience with. The plot keeps moving forward taking the well developed main characters toward confrontations that force them each to make difficult choices. Strong female character too which I appreciate. I loved the story.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)