As Sure as the Sun Rises, a new novel by local author Don Then (writing as D. James Then), is a poignant and romantic love story using the stark realism of the Vietnam War as its backdrop.
The narrative of the book is both lyrical and definitive. The novel juxtaposes the harshness of war with the beauty of love—often terms that are innately incongruous.
The novel, set in the waning years of the Vietnam War, features two strong and decisive characters: Jack Taylor, an Army officer and sniper, and Julia Ormandy, a Canadian physician serving in Laos with an international medical organization.
The setting for the book is Laos, North Vietnam, and other venues in Southeast Asia. Although the story takes place forty years ago, the book’s message is a strong one: those beckoned by love must heed its call.
One reviewer has called this book ‘a story for the ages.’
Taylor and Ormandy meet purely by chance, but that brief meeting is so overwhelmingly powerful that its magnetism is uncontrollable. The romance that ensues is powerful, emotive, touching, and life altering.
The book’s subtitle is Love in the Time of the Vietnam War. It’s a phrase that hints that this powerful love story will face the tough and intense challenges that typically surface and disrupt lives in any war.
The follow passage provides insight to the story and demonstrates the author’s style. It is a passage as seen through the eyes of the story’s protagonist Jack Taylor: “I noticed residue—pieces of lint —on her cheek, apparently from a garment. Instinctively, I brushed it away with my fingertips and, quite unexpectedly and because of the warmth of her skin, I caressed her cheek and studied her brown eyes.
“She turned her cheek into my palm; a lovely smile accompanied a momentary sigh. She was magnificent.
“My spontaneous gesture surprised me, as did the sensation of my hand against her warm skin, which was suggestive and exhilarating. She must have agreed because her smile intensified. Staring directly at me, she did not blink and, in that moment, we each discovered something we had only read about in books. Soon, her eyebrows arched expressively.”
“‘My first priority is to stop the bleeding,’ she stated, breaking our intimate bond. She sterilized my skin, administered the injection, and swabbed the wound with iodine.”
To learn more about As Sure as the Sun Rises (and Don’s other books), visit www.djamesthen.com.
If you are interested in a copy for your personal library or to read excerpts, visit Amazon.com.
Donald Then is a novelist and experienced editor and journalist. He has written reviews of the books of local authors for the NKyTribune as well as numerous novels of his own. Reach him at author@djamesthen.com.