I'm grateful to Diane Donovan at Midwest Book Review, for her wonderful review of my book! Here it is:
The Man Who Sent the SOS Paul Amirault www.paulamirault.com Bear Notch Road Press ISBN 9780997570403 e-ISBN 9780997570410 Paul Amirault was a man obsessed with history (the Titanic's history, to be specific), but his spiritual memoir takes the form of contrasting 'memories' between the author and one "Jack", and so the result is a far more revealing and thought-provoking blend of genres than one might expect from a tale of events affecting the sinking of the great ship. From the start, The Man Who Sent the SOS is a vivid, unusual read that opens with a skinny-dipping episode among children which gives the author a startling vision of a sinking ship. It was an experience quickly forgotten; but the ghostly ship vision returned years later, and its haunting impact could not be set aside as it appears "...in such stunning detail, I could actually make out the rivets." "Jack", in contrast, is on the Titanic, experiencing every moment of its sinking and the culture that the ship's crew and passengers embody. As the story moves from his childhood to the decisions that led him to the Titanic, readers gain a feel for the peoples and interactions of the times. Under another hand it would have been all too easy for these changing narrators to be confusing; but Amirault clearly labels each chapter's narrator, place, and time; and thus it's easy to move between the decades and different approaches. From the Titanic's trappings and physical features (including the Marconigraph and hydraulic tube) to past-life regressions, hypnotherapists, questions of belief and reality, and a startling journey backwards in time, The Man Who Sent the SOS will sail beyond new age audiences to intrigue readers of Titanic history, memoirs, and scientific and historical investigations. It's an amazing journey that ultimately comes full circle, it offers some startling new ideas and revelations on many levels, and thus The Man Who Sent the SOS is especially, highly recommended reading for a wide audience interested in historically-based stories that move in unique directions.