Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Aralen Dreams by Charles Thompson

Today’s book review is the best kind of fiction – it reads like an actual memoir. This is in large measure due to the fact that the author based his story on his own real-life experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama. But I think it is also – in an even larger measure – due to the skillful linguistic maneuverings of the author, Charles Thompson. The book came to my attention via an email from the author – who generously provided a complimentary review copy – and boy am I glad it did.

And thanks to his generosity, one lucky reader in the U.S. can win their very own free copy!

Aralen Dreams is the story of John Dillon, a Wall Street whiz kid who wakes up one day realizing there must be more to life – and decides that the “more” will best be identified and then realized by joining the Peace Corps. He is transported from a cushy American life to a bare-bones Panamanian one in a matter of moments, and the tale of his exploits is entertaining, touching, and more than a little harrowing.

The eponymous Aralen refers to the anti-malarial drug that the Peace Corps volunteers are given to protect them against the ravages of the local mosquitos. Apparently, it has quite a set of side-effects (detailed – and explored – to some hilarity in an early scene between John and a Bostonite named Kyle), including hallucinations and crazy intense dreams – hence the full title.

In an entirely believable narrative style that is redolent of the best-written memoirs, Thompson lays out John’s experiences in a readable day-by-day fashion that allows the reader to travel into the heart of the third world from whatever comfy reading chair they prefer. John is even keeping a journal of his exploits, which further adds to the “you are reading a memoir” feeling of the novel. I loved this – I actually had to double-check on amazon at one point to confirm that it was, in fact, fiction. (teehee – “in fact, fiction” – I like that. Wait, am I allowed to like the things I write? I hope so – if I don’t, who will?!)

The story is engaging, John is a likeable fellow who doesn’t veer wildly off track or end up in too self-destructive a place – all nice (and unusual) things in this type of story, and markers that I probably should have recognized as indicative of the fictional.

Why is that you ask? Well, it seems that nearly every memoir I’ve ever read inevitably seems to involve some horrid, overly-indulgent, designed-to-make-you-hate-the-narrator-for-a-while plot line at some point…

Maybe it’s just me, but that seems to be a hallmark of the memoir, eh? I suppose it makes sense – people seem to write memoirs to clear the air/their chests/their cupboards of skeletons. While that is a perfectly valid reason to write, it doesn’t always make for the most pleasant reading, and is often something I consider the price to be paid for a good memoir.

In Aralen Dreams, you get memoir-y goodness without that price – an extra-bonus to my mind, like finding two tootsie rolls at the center of your tootsie pop. There’s a little something for everyone – a love story, self-discovery, opportunities for righteous indignation, and some good old-fashioned fun (and funny) escapades that could only happen to someone trying to do the right thing. So if you’re looking for a trip down South America way and a chance to temporarily spend some time as a Peace Corps volunteer named John who is desperately looking to (a) do some good and (b) figure out the meaning of life (in a good way), this is definitely the way to do it.

Enter to win your free copy here! Please note that this giveaway is limited to the U.S. at the request of the author…