• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (December 1, 2014)
• ISBN: 9781477824962
• Source: BookSparksPR

After her mother passes away, twenty-eight year old Jessica Gregory packs her bags and leaves her small town Indiana home for Phuket, Thailand, where she’ll work at a school teaching English to the native children.  Her relationship with her mother was less than healthy; as the youngest of nine children Jessica always felt as though she was an accident.  She and her mother butt heads constantly, Jessica never really living up to her mother’s expectations. This trip to Thailand is certainly the riskiest thing she’s ever done. Phuket is certainly a world vastly different than her quiet, Midwestern home.

Shortly after her arrival, she meets Grant Flynn. Like Jessica, Grant is on a journey to overcome and heal from a recent loss. However, Grant’s journey is a far more treacherous one; he plans to sail his boat, Imagine,  across the Indian Ocean.  The journey is riddled with risks, from pirates to dangerous and unpredictable weather. Jessica is desperate for such a challenge and eventually gains a spot on the crew.  The trip takes a deadly twist, forcing Jessica and the crew to endure unfathomable challenges and tests of courage.

While The Unimaginable is an engrossing and inspirational read, it’s not without its faults. Aspects of the characters’ pasts are alluded to, but not handled in depth.  Brief mentions throughout the book serve as a starting point but I feel readers would have a better understanding of the characters, and the rationale for their choices, if there were more backstory.

That’s not to say this wasn’t an enjoyable read; it most certainly was. I appreciated following Jessica’s journey to self-understanding and discovery. The setting Silver created in Phuket was mesmerizing. Jessica’s character obviously had many struggles in life and, rather than succumbing to them she persevered and opted to put her focus and passion into helping others.

This novel was based on two true stories. The first involved  a couple who followed their dream by taking a break from their jobs and everyday life and embarking on a four-year-long sailing journey. More about their story can be read about at www.sailimagine.com.  The second involves a retired couple who provided Bibles and ministries to remote villages. In 2011, their craft was hijacked in the Arabian Sea by a group of Somalian pirates.  Unfortunately, their story ended when their lives were taken.  Knowing that the author based this novel on these two actual accounts adds a depth of reality and plausibility to the story.

If you are looking for a captivating, inspirational read, The Unimaginable is the perfect match. Highly recommended.