Books that Matter Monday: If We Survive
“Good things might happen in your life or bad things might happen, sometimes terrible things, but no matter what happens, your soul is your own. And no one and nothing can stop you.”
These are great words spoken from an even greater book. Andrew Klavan has done it again, writing a gripping novel that leaves the reader holding on until the very end. Klavan’s main genre for his novels is mystery, but the one characteristic that many of his novels share is a need for the main character(s) to find a way to escape and survive. For example, ‘If We Survive,’ which is quoted above, is about a political revolution in Costa Verde. The plot centers around Will Peterson, one of the missionary team members who go to Costa Verde to help rebuild the wall of a school that was destroyed by the Volcanoes, a local gang of rebels. Having made life-long friends with the people of the town, the missionaries spend their last day of the mission trip relaxing at a local cantina with them, while they wait for their plane home. Just as their pilot walks into the cantina, the rebels swarm, open fire, and take over the town. The pilot, Will, and the rest of his missionary team are imprisoned by the rebels and need to find a way out before they are killed, and then they can hopefully return home safely. The team deems it impossible when they see killers in the streets, armies patrolling the hills, and the borders heavily guarded by rebels. The question is, how can they escape all of this unseen?
Most of Andrew KIavan’s novels are known for their action and adventure, but he originally began publishing his novels at a Christian publishing house. While most writers would find this move daring because of Klavan’s political and revolutionary plots, he seems to be successful. The central theme throughout ‘If We Survive’ is of the crippling political and economic stature in small countries. A lesson that is taught in this novel is of the government’s desire to control the people with militant force in order to restore their country’s wealth. Later in the novel, Will is faced with the reality of possibly dying on this mission trip. Klavan emphasizes Christianity in this novel when Will thinks he is facing death and says, “I felt sad. Not just a little sad. I feel this huge, huge sadness. Sure, in church we talk about an eternal life in heaven and all that, but I wasn’t in church now — and I was so, so sorry that this life was coming to an end.”
Even if the story is fictional, I could never imagine having to go through this type of traumatic event during any kind of trip. I know that each country has its own laws for the people to follow, especially after I went on a church mission trip to Nicaragua and saw it first-hand, but I couldn’t imagine living somewhere so strict that leaders use militant force to control the people. This book was definitely an informative read, with many dangerous and intense situations, but it did include some comedic instances to lighten the mood.
Any reader, no matter what genre they like, should look at ‘If We Survive.’ It is definitely a fast-paced and gripping tale that keeps you on the edge of…wherever you are reading. Like all of the other Klavan books that I have read, ‘If We Survive’ kept me intrigued until the end. Klavan’s constant use of action and adventure keeps his readers wanting more, while imprinting life lessons along the way. In ‘If We Survive,’ Will learns what it means to be a real hero and a fearless person. It is because of this book that I now own every novel of Andrew Klavan’s.
