
I still remember when Oprah selected 

 novel THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN as her very first Oprah pick! I loved the book and, like many, I was hooked on reading each and every one of Oprah's book club selections. It's been a quite a few years, but I recently decided to read another novel by Ms. Mitchard. Her latest is titled 

, and it definitely has a unique premise.



TWO IF BY SEA tells the story of Frank Mercy, a former American police officer now living in Brisbane, Australia. Frank is happily married and excited about his wife's pregnancy when they are celebrating the Christmas holiday with his wife's family. And then the unspeakable happens! A tsunami hits Brisbane and kills Frank's entire family. Devastated by grief, he joins up with a volunteer rescue unit to help save others' lives.



Frank encounters a three year old boy and his older brother in the water. He only has a few minutes to save them, and the older boy tells him to take the three year old because he's important. Frank immediately feels an affinity to this boy, who he decides to call Ian; and he ends up keeping the boy rather than turning him over to the authorities. He quickly makes an escape from Australia with Ian to his family farm in Wisconsin.



On the way over to the states in the airplane, Frank realizes that Ian is, indeed, special. As strange as it sounds, Ian has a calming effect on animals and humans. He seems to be able to get into their minds and almost stop them from doing things that are dangerous.



When Frank arrives back in Wisconsin, he tries to start over his life with his family and Ian (and even a new love interest); however, he is always looking over his shoulder, worried that someone is coming for Ian. Things take a nasty turn when Frank realizes that there are some very nasty people who are looking for Ian, and Frank is forced to make some difficult decisions to protect his child.



I enjoyed TWO IF BY SEA, but I have to say that the first half of the book held my interest more than the second. In fact, the first few chapters were incredibly powerful. I was captured by the descriptions of Brisbane and the tsunami, and I thought Ms. Mitchard did a remarkable job of bringing that entire tragedy to life. I also loved how she introduced Ian, and I was most definitely intrigued by his telepathic gift.



I found Frank to be a very well developed character, and I truly appreciated how he was a man who had experienced so many tragedies yet kept trying to start over. Granted, I should have been upset with him for basically kidnapping Ian and leaving the country; however, I was most definitely rooting for them. Ian and Frank had a special bond and I enjoyed seeing how their relationship evoked a certain feeling of hope to me.



I can't really pinpoint when the book took a turn for me, but I think the suspense aspect of the story (when people from Ian's past showed up) just didn't interest me like the character development and relationship aspects of the story. I think because the first half of the book really captured my attention, I was expecting the entire book to keep the same pace. Looking back on it now, I don't really think that was possible.



TWO IF BY SEA would make an interesting book club selection. There are some wonderful characters, and there are definitely some interesting moral dilemmas to discuss for your typical book clubs. However, fans of science fiction, the supernatural and suspense stories might be also be intrigued by this story. There is a 

 available with fourteen questions along with some ideas to enhance your meeting. Some of the themes you might want to explore include family, loss, grief, second chances, love, chance, morals, sacrifices, and parenthood.



I enjoyed TWO IF BY SEA but I'm not sure I can go so far as to say I loved it... although I really wanted to love it! Recommended for fans of Ms. Mitchard's and for book clubs looking for something a little different!



Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.



