02088cam a2200337 4500 1163508779 TxAuBib 20081231120000.0 080229s2008||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2008009398 9780451224927 0451224922 TxAuBib Shors, John, 1969- Beside a burning sea / John Shors. New York, N.Y. : New American Library, 2008. 424 p. ; 21 cm. Includes Readers Guide. Includes interview with author and reading guide. "One moment, the World War II hospital ship Benevolence is patrolling the South Pacific on a mission of mercy to save wounded American soldiers. The next, Benevolence is split in two by a torpedo, killing almost everyone on board. A small band of survivors, including an injured Japanese soldier and a young American nurse whom he saves from drowning, makes it to the deserted shore of a nearby island. Akira has suffered five years of bloodshed and horror fighting for the Japanese empire. Now, surrounded by enemies he is supposed to hate, he instead finds solace in their company--and rediscovers his love of poetry. While sharing the mystery and beauty of this passion with Annie, the captivating but tormented woman he rescued, Akira grapples with the pain of his past while helping Annie uncover the promise of her future. Meanwhile, the remaining castaways endure a world not of their making--a world as barbaric as it is beautiful, as hateful as it is loving..."--P. 4 of cover. 20081231. United States Navy Hospital ships Fiction. World War, 1939-1945 Pacific Area Fiction. Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc Fiction. Soldiers Japan Fiction. Nurses Fiction. Authors Interviews. Solomon Islands Fiction. Love stories. TXKIP