This is a joint Memoir exploring the hostage-taking stance of middle eastern jihadists which robbed John McCarthy and Jill Morrel of five years, stalling their budding relationship.
The retelling of the ordeal through the eyes of both parties makes for a gripping page-turner. The chapters are titled with a place and timestamp. Beirut, April 1986, happens to be the momentous starting point that would drag on into a five year period. Silence, frustration, continuous campaigning and a battle to reconcile and heal the emotional trauma of separation would fill those years.
The aforementioned date may hold no significance for many people, but for John, it became the day he was denied the dopamine rush of a clean exit, from a troubled place. Lebanon was mired in civil war and order had completely broken down. The world’s press, ever eager for firsthand news, hunkered down close to the line of fire. Hostage-taking and outright murder had become fair game amidst the rubble, fighting and Western cameras flashing away.
For John, a British journalist, the slight hope that the worst of the worst had missed him in Beirut, must have charged his spirits that morning. After all, he was headed for the airport. Who knows, maybe his mind had already leaped beyond the present chaos, into tranquil thoughts of a plane ride home. But it was not to be.
This book is a tome for a Memoir and I began penning down my observations at page 361. Page after page that captures the aftermath of John’s abduction built a tension that kept my interest from waning. At page 361, I began highlighting more sentences, phrases and trains of thought I found magnetic. John’s perceptions and reflections became more moving in terms of depth for me. In other pages I feared the strain of holding on and having to dig deeper for both parties would take it’s toll on their connection. I think I became really attached to the story and I just wanted a happy ending or a happy ever after. Don’t blame me.
This book has given me a reader’s eye I’ve never had. A reader’s eye that spots and appreciates the personal growth of a writer which shines through their work as the book progresses. This is more the case mainly in Memoirs I’m guessing. To some degree events planned and unplanned colours the tone, mood, voice and overall message of an author as the pages turn. This is one such material.
Some Other Rainbow is a type of book I’ve never read and I’m mighty glad I’ll never read books the same way again. I have John and Jill to thank for this.
