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    A Walk Across the Sun
    A Walk Across the Sun
    A Walk Across the Sun
    Audiobook15 hours

    A Walk Across the Sun

    Written by Corban Addison

    Narrated by Soneela Nankani

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Corban Addison's riveting suspense debut pulls back the veil on one of the most profound human rights issues of our day: human trafficking. After their coastal town in India is wiped out by a tsunami, two sisters are abducted and sold into the global underground sex trade. Meanwhile, half a world away, a D.C. attorney makes it his life's work to end this dehumanizing practice.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 3, 2012
    ISBN9781464008177
    A Walk Across the Sun
    Author

    Corban Addison

    Corban Addison is the international bestselling author of A Walk Across the Sun, The Garden of Burning Sand, and The Tears of Dark Water,which won the 2016 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Award. His novels have been published in over 25 countries. An attorney, activist, and world traveler, he is a supporter of humanitarian and social justice causes around the world. He lives with his wife and children in Virginia. Learn more at his website corbanaddison.com Facebook: CorbanAddison Twitter: @CorbanAddison    

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    Reviews for A Walk Across the Sun

    4/5

    173 ratings29 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I knew what was comming when I read " His younger brother worked in a finance firm in New York, and Ted's wife, Amy was a model for a slew of fashion magazines. Despite their high-flying careers, they were actually quite down-to-earth people." (pg. 39-40) Sigh, so the 1st world characters are all going to be connected, educated (Harvard, Yale & Oxford no less!) and beautiful. The writing is flat but the story does move along. I believe the author has tried to do some good with this work by fictionalizing a terrible part of society that most do not know exists.Plus I give him points for mercifully not including highly descriptive sex scenes.
    • 5/5
      In A WALK ACROSS THE SUN you meet Ahalya and her sister Sita who were saved, if you can call it saved, from the terrors of the tsunami that occurred in India. Their entire family perished in the tsunami, and these two innocent girls were kidnapped, bought, and forced into a brothel in India. Meanwhile on the other side of the world, Thomas Clarke, an attorney in Washington D.C., takes on a position in India to try to find and arrest the sex traffic offenders.You will follow the horrors of a life these two girls and the other underage and legal-aged girls lead in these houses. You will feel their humiliation and helplessness. The horrors of forced child prostitution are unthinkable, but it happens more than we want to believe…even in the United States. You will also see the wealthy side of Bombay, India, and feel the rush of everyday life and the unbelievable multitude of people. Ever-present poverty is never far away from the wealthy sections along with the red-light districts in the poorest towns with children hidden inside with no way out.This book is not a police report...it is the story of Ahalya and Sita and the plight of these girls and other unfortunate girls around the globe. Ahalya and Sita are the main characters the story is based upon. The suspense and the fear you have for Sita, Ahalya, and the other "prisoners" of these traffickers is real. There is also a love story weaved into the book which takes the reader from the United States to India.The book is very well written, as tastefully written as it can be, and will hold your interest in spite of the unpleasant subject matter. It is eye opening to find out about corrupt police forces and the trafficking that is incredibly rampant. It is also unbelievable that this trafficking can occur to such a great extent without its being discovered. The last few chapters of the book take a different direction in terms of plot. The tense subject matter melts away and takes the reader on a more redeeming ride. The book leaves you with a powerful message and with a sense of sorrow for society. My rating is an unequivocal 5/5. Great research and wonderful storyline.
    • 5/5
      Excellent! I very rarely give out five stars, so I highly recommend reading this gripping story!
    • 5/5
      This book is about human trafficking in India, Europe, and the US, not exactly an uplifting topic. The cover made me pick it up, but what drew me to the book was that the heroines are from a place in India that I've been: Madras/Chennai. The author's descriptions brought back the culture, colors, sounds, and smells of India. The book starts with the 2004 tsunami and everyone in the family is killed except the two sisters. The girls try to make their way to their school in Madras, but the help they find along the way is not so helpful. The girls end up being sold to a brothel in Bombay. Enter the American lawyer who takes a sabbatical with a nonprofit group in Bombay that fights human trafficking.The plight of the girls, and the other girls they meet along their journey, is so sad, especially the ease with which it happened to them. That it could happen to anyone. The crazy amounts of money involved and the fact that people are willing to pay that much for one night with an under-aged girl is unthinkable. Because of all that money women and girls are moved around the world, probably right in front of our eyes and we don't even know it. I don't think many people realize how big this problem is, and for those that do, it seems overwhelming. For every girl rescued, many more take her place.The book is not graphic and has a satisfying ending. The author's writing style is easy to read and even his lawyer-ese was understandable. I devoured it about 50 pages at a time.
    • 5/5
      I could not put this one down! Suspense built around a true madness that exists in this world. No horrific details are shared about the abuse, so I could read it.
      Something we should all become aware of...great fiction with a mission to bring light to the horrors of child sex trafficking.
    • 4/5
      This was a fantastic book! While the storyline s a bit disturbing and very realistic the author did a good job of not making the scenes too graphic. While I appreciated that, I did feel like the end was a bit too predictable. For that reason alone, I gave this one 4 stars instead of 5.
    • 5/5
      You must read this book. I just finished and am working on a review soon.
    • 5/5
      This book was chosen by the CGC Book Club to read for April 2016. I am so glad it was because I thought it was a powerful and important book that I don't know I would have read otherwise.Two sisters in India survive the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 but their parents are killed. As they try to make their way to the Catholic school they attend Ahalya and Sita are kidnapped. As virgins they fetch a high price from a brothel owner. They await their inevitable fate in a hidden room. Half a continent away Thomas Clarke is in Washington D.C. mourning the death of his infant daughter and wondering if his wife is gone for good. She returned to Mumbai to be with her family as her grandmother slowly dies. Thomas is a lawyer in a big firm and has been working on a negligence case brought against a coal company which is the firm's client. Just before Christmas the verdict was pronounced and the company was found guilty and ordered to pay millions. Thomas was blamed for bad legal advice which was actually the fault of the partner in charge of the litigation. He is offered a sabbatical with a non-profit group of his choosing for a year. He chose an NGO which has an office in Mumbai that is involved in finding children trafficked for the sex trade. Ahalya and Sita have been separated with Sita going to Paris as a drug mule. The brothel in which Ahalya still lives was raided by the police based on a tip from the NGO Thomas works for. Thomas went along on the raid and met Ahalya. She begs him to find Sita. It seems like an impossible task but Thomas, anxious to redeem himself to his wife, sets to it.Although this is a work of fiction it is based on information the author has learned and confirmed about the global sex trafficking trade. Most often the victims are young women or girls. It is world-wide and highly organized. And it is worth billions of dollars annually. This book is not for the squeamish or faint of heart but it will open your eyes to a reality that vulnerable women and children face.The title comes from a poem that Thomas writes for his wife:We walk across the sun And our shadows fall Upon the dial of time In names spoken by the light That gives us birth.I'm no great analyzer of poetry but I love the image of this poem and I find it very optimistic. Let's let the light into these sordid corners of commercialized sex.
    • 5/5
      "A Walk Across the Sun" is a gripping book dealing with human trafficking and the sex trade. Thankfully, whilst hard hitting and difficult to read at times, due to the horrendous place two young sisters find themselves trapped in, the author never goes into vivid detail but still manages to bring to life the depravity of the underworld. It is also a fast-paced thriller as lawyer, Thomas Clarke, finds himself compelled to search for the two girls after witnessing the abduction of a young girl whilst on his way to visit his parents, thus entering the dark, evil world of the illegal sex trade.It is obvious that Corban Addison thoroughly researched his subject matter and is passionate about trying to eradicate the trade. His message is important - human trafficking is rife worldwide, even in our own backyard. However, despite the ugliness of the topic, this is ultimately a book about hope and redemption. A heart-wrenching story, that shocks, educates and moves the reader. A must read!
    • 5/5
      "A walk across the sun" is a heart rending tale of Ahalya and Sita, two sisters who are torn away from their upper middle class home in India by a cruel Tsunami. They end up in a brothel and worse still separated from each other. While Thomas an attorney from the U.S is trying hard to trace Sita, Sita resolves that come what may she will cling to her memories while Ahalya entrusts Thomas with the task of bringing Sita back to her. The message of the book further is that the war against human trafficking cannot be stopped by putting traffickers in jail rather it will only stop when men stop buying women for their pleasure. A well told story with an important message.
    • 4/5
      Opening with the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia in 2004, A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison is about two Indian sisters who survive the waters only to discover the rest of their family did not. At age 17 and 15, they decide to go to their school and put themselves under the care of the nun’s that teach them. Unfortunately before they can get there, they fall into the hands of human traffickers and find themselves being sold into prostitution. The other main character in this book is American attorney Thomas Clarke, who is going through his own personal tragedy and decides to step away from his life in Washington D.C. and to work pro bono in India for an agency that tries to rescue under-age prostitutes from the horrors of the life they have been forced into.The book explores the horrors of the sex trade business and the corruption that feeds it. There are a few indications that this is a first time novel. I felt the author identified strongly with Thomas and spend a little too much time on his story with his estranged wife at the expense of other plotlines. I would have like to have read more about the rescue agencies and how they traced and tracked both the victims and the perpetrators. Although the writing in places was rather clichéd, the story moved along at a good pace and this reader was quickly absorbed into the characters lives. I felt the author made a wise and conscious decision to veer away from graphic descriptions, preferring to concentrate on the victim’s feeling of outrage, shame and fear. This is an overwhelmingly difficult subject to write about with tact and taste, but I felt the author managed this quite well.In the afterword the author expresses his hope that A Walk In the Sun will help raise the public awareness of human trafficking and the enslavement of women. This isn’t just something that is happening in underdeveloped countries, but is a worldwide concern. This author seems to chose very interesting subject material to write about and I would certainly like to read more of his stories. I look forward to seeing how his craft develops.
    • 4/5
      trafficking of humans.... a serious, degrading practice that I am oblivious to in my little world, and, yet, it is there. You'd think we would be civilized to no longer sell humans. Whereas the oldest profession was once the only way the poor could put a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, now it is a factor of greed.

      The book was okay - obviously debut book and he author leaves you with hope at the end (who wants to finish a book and be left without hope?!?!?!) but you know that many girls have no hope that are caught and kept without having a choice. The subject matter is heavy. The writing wasn't unique, but a fine well-presented story. The personal story of Thomas might appeal to the movie makers when bringing this to the big screen, but it didn't add to the stories of Sita and Ahalya. Sita's and Ahalya's story makes the book. The attorney's personal life really has no use (to me) in this book, except, possibly, provide moments of relief from the main story.
    • 4/5
      Interesting story about a lawyer doing pro bono work in India with an NGO that tries to stop child trafficking. There is a back story about his life with his Indian wife that develops along with him while he is looking ffor a specific child that was abducted.
    • 5/5
      A Walk Across the Sun is probably one of the best books that I have read. Two teenage sisters are the only surviving family members after a tsunami hit India. This book is about the trials and triumphs of their rescue, survival and rescue once more. Very well written. Each page kept me wanting to read on to find out what happens to these girls. I read this book while travelling the maritime provinces and had a very hard time choosing whether to look at the scenery or read. A very heart warming story.
    • 5/5
      Truly amazing book. This is a heartbreaking story of two young Indian girls who lose their entire family in a monsoon and quickly find out how cruel and terrible the world can be. The story tracks the girls as well as the NGO trying to bring traffickers to justice. The book is not at all explicit, but it is difficukt to read at times when you realize this may be a fictional story, but the subject matter is real, and these things are happening. It is also a story filled with love, conviction and hope. Truly thought-provoking, it shines a light on human sex trafficking and opens your eyes to a horrible reality. It spurred me into doing some research and trying to find out what I could do to try to help.
    • 4/5
      Two young girls are left homeless after a tsunami destroys their village killing their parents. The girls set off by foot to go to their school, they are accosted and kidnapped into human trafficking. Although a heartbreaking subject, I do feel that this is a crime we need to understand better. The resolution is gentle, so I did not find the book overly painful. Bobbie
    • 4/5
      A bit boring at first but it picks up. I thought it would be predictable but in the end it wasn't. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
    • 4/5
      Basically this is the story of redemption and salvation, although not in the traditional sense of those words. This story moves from Washington, D.C. to Mumbai to Paris to Atlanta and back to Mumbai. That is the physical journey. However the spiritual and personal journeys of the characters is even more dramatic and transformational. Two sisters caught up in the tsunami of a few years ago get thrown into the world of human trafficking. Their faith keeps them going once they are separated. A couple who has lost a child end up separated. How do the two pairs reunite and what does it take for that to happen? It takes faith, perseverance, and honesty. Not always easy to consistently conjure up under extreme stress. So, I will not divulge the details, but will just say that the plot and characters had me interested right from the beginning. If the view of trafficking is at all realistic, I am even more disgusted by it now than prior to reading the book. An engaging, informative and thought-provoking book.
    • 4/5
      Even thought I am aware there is international sex trafficking, it seems remote and impersonal. This novel changes that. Through the experiences of two young women from India, the reader is led through a series of international horrors. Without repeating the plot, the author sheds light on the dark side of both men and women, rich and poor, educated and illiterate. The story begins in India, travels to France, and then the United States. It is amazing how complicated and coordinated the efforts of the sex traffickers are and the levels of collusion and complicity required of authorities in some countries. The story is gripping.This is a novel driven by plot. Although the characters of the two Indian girls are believable as are some of the adults who use them, they too often do just seem to be "characters." This, I felt, was especially true of some of the co-workers of Thomas Clarke, the Washington D.C. attorney who undertakes the task of finding the younger sister. His marriage to an Indian woman, his affair with the co-worker, and his relationship with yet again another beautiful co-worker in France do seem a bit contrived at times. However, this is a minor flaw.In short, I feel the author desperately wanted to shed light on this almost unspeakable horror which is happening to far too many young women across the world. He succeeded in that. The story is definitely worth reading and will be remembered.
    • 4/5
      This book was well written eventhough it was a horrifying topic. The story of two young women who were sold into the sex slave industry was very eye opening to me. The author obviously did his research on this industry as it felt like a real situation to me. Good read.
    • 3/5
      Quite good. my ignorance on this subject is now not so great. I find it hard to imagine that human trafficking of young girls happens so easily.
    • 3/5
      Not terrible and is a book about an important topic, but as a work of fiction, it falls a little short. Pretty good character examination.
    • 4/5
      This was an excellent first novel by Corban Addison that I became totally engrossed in. It tells of Sita and Ahalya sisters who are really close and and part of a loving family. But their world is torn apart when a tsunami strikes their village in India, and all their family dies. The sisters try to make their way to an orphanage they know of but are betrayed and sold, and even separated. In Washington Thomas Clarke, an ambitious lawyer, is struggling to cope with the death of his young daughter and the breakdown of his marriage to Priya an Indian woman. He takes a year off and goes to work for an antitrafficking organisation in India and thus the two stories come together.This is an eye opener, a heartbreaking story of the terrible ways that young girls are treated in our world. It gives some idea of the depth of the problem and how difficult it is catch and prosecute these people. I felt so much for Sita and Ahayla, and all the many others unamed. I wanted Sita and Ahayla to be saved and reunited and that kept me really involved in this story. I could not help but think of all the others who may never be saved, or are so damaged by their experience that they may never be able to return to a normal life. I enjoyed the sub plot as well - the story of Thomas as he reassesses his life and changes his priorities of what is important to him. He realises that he does not want to be a high powered lawyer anymore and sees it as his mission to save Sita. The story of his relationship with Priya and the difficulties there was also interesting and real to me. A book well worth a read.
    • 5/5
      .A Walk Across the Sun is an outstanding debut for this author. It is the story of 2 Indian girls who lose their entire family in the Tsunami of 2006, and wind up being kidnapped and sold into prostitution...and worse. It is based on fact regarding human trafficking and is a sad commentary about the plight of so many women and children in the 21 century. The only reason I did not give it a full 5 stars is that the ending was too perfect, in that it all ended happy, which in reality I doubt that that is how many of these stories end. Outside of the ending this is a gut wrenching story that will keep you reading it until the end. This is definitely an Author to watch.
    • 4/5
      A haunting and heartbreaking story of two young Indian sisters whose lives are transformed when a tsunami leaves them orphans and they become caught in the web of the international sex trade. An idealistic, but soul weary American lawyer learns about their story and begins to unravel the buying and selling of children across international borders for sex and vows to unite the two sisters. Elegantly written and thoroughly researched, it's hard to believe this is Corban Addison's first novel. It is at once enlightening but also a satisfying book that will keep you turning the pages as you share the thread of hope and the thread of fear that weigh equally upon the reader. Don't miss it.
    • 4/5
      I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book and I'll admit that it was slow in the beginning and not really easy to get into. By page 70, however, I couldn't put it down. The plight of the many people, both adults and children, who are trafficked in various ways is appalling. In telling the story of two sisters, one who is raped in the brothel that they are sent to, the other sent to France and then America as a cleaning slave, Mr. Addison really illuminates all the various possibilities that happen.The subplot involving an American attorney whose life is falling apart was also very good. It was especially interesting to watch as he began to discover that his life as an attorney destined for the federal bench (like his father) wasn't fulfilling. By traveling to India to work for a group trying to rescue and rehabilitate young girls from the brothels of Mumbai, he learns that fulfilling work is what it's all about. Through his involvement with the search to find Sita, the girl sent so many different places, enables him to see his life differently and to reconnect with his wife, Priya.Yes, the arc of the story is pretty improbable - the likelihood of finding one little girl across three continents is slim, but this is a story and it's good to have a happy ending sometimes. I learned a lot from this book and it managed to tell me these stories without descending into utter darkness - yes, it's grim, but not so grim that its painful to read. Fast-paced once it gets started, filled with charming characters of all kinds (both good and bad) and all of their competing agendas, this is a read that kept me up nights. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Those of us not familiar with the sex trade, me being one of those, usually think of it as happening “someplace else”. The reality is that it happens all over the world, including right here in the United States. Children are sold for drugs, prostitution, kidnapped right off of the street. Before you go any further in this review you need to know that this is not a feel good topic. It is repulsive and hard to read.We start off the story with two innocent girls whose life is decimated due to a tsunami. They try to get to their school where the sisters will take care of them. Things go wrong and they find themselves where no young person should ever be, in the sex trade. Thomas Clarke is a lawyer who has lost so much already. He witnesses a kidnapping of a young girl in a park and this sets him on his mission to work against these traffickers. This story moves along smoothly carrying the reader from one heartbreak to another. It is a very emotional book to read. It lets you see inside the head and heart of these people who sell children for sex. I think it was best said when one of the characters said to the young girl he had with him, “You are not here because I enjoy the sale of sex. You are here because men enjoy the purchase of it.” (page 329)I thought about that remark. If we could get rid of all of the people who were willing to pay for this service then we would not have the sex trade. As the author took us across India we get a look at the different caste systems and the way they treat people. Both of these girls were middle class students who knew English. This made them more valuable than many others. The author doesn’t leave the reader in a depressive state. He definitely wanted to give the reader hope that this situation can change in the future. This is a must read book. If nothing else you as a parent should read it to see what you need to protect your children from.Corban Addison is able to give a voice to the victims of human trafficking. Without that voice people like me know nothing of it. We live in our safe little world. After reading this book my world doesn’t feel so safe anymore and it isn’t as small as it once was.
    • 5/5
      A Walk Across the Sun is the debut novel of Corban Addison. When I first learned of this book, the topic caught my attention as I've seen a number of documentaries on the the issue of human trafficking. I also recently read about this topic in the Fall edition of Columbia Magazine published by Columbia University.Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. And when I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to it! The reader is sucked right into the incredibly sad misfortune of these two sisters. It's an adult book, but many parts read as YA because alternating chapters are written from the perspective of the sisters. The story progresses back and forth between the sisters, Ahalya, Sita and the lawyer, Thomas Clark.The author, Corban Addison has amazing writing skills. It's hard to believe this is his first book! He actually is an attorney and has an interest in human rights issues. His expertise and passion certainly come across in the story. He expertly weaves the plight of the two sisters with the personal and marital crisis of Clark, the attorney, so not only are you on the edge of your seat as you flip through the pages to learn the fate of the girls, you also wonder what will become of Clark, professionally as well as in his marriage. This story will open your eyes to how prevalent the international sex trade is. It's often going on right in front of your eyes and you don't have a clue. A Walk Across the Sun is an amazing story filled with intrigue, tragedy, action and joy. You'll be thinking about it long after the last page is turned.
    • 4/5
      Originally published on Read Handed.The most horrific events are the ones that actually happen to real people across the world on a daily basis. Specifically, I'm talking about the horror of human trafficking.Corban Addison has written a novel called A Walk Across the Sun (due to be published in January 2012) that portrays two young girls trapped in just such a situation. Ahalya and Sita are seventeen and fifteen years old, respectively, the day their world changes forever. The girls enjoy a loving family, private schooling, and all the advantages they need for bright futures.Then, a tsunami slams their coastal home, killing both their parents and their beloved housekeeper. Left to fend for themselves, the girls try to catch a ride to their boarding school in Mumbai. They find a friend of their father's in a nearby town and he manages to find the three of them a ride to the city. His stop is before theirs and after he leaves them, the driver takes the girls to a slum and sells them. All of this happens within the first fifteen pages of the novel.Despite the heartbreaking action, the book did not actually grab me from the first pages. I was unimpressed in the beginning - the first chapter read like a matter-of-fact news report and failed to create the emotional bond I wanted to feel with the characters. The publicity quotes on the cover made me expect more: John Grisham said "Addison has written a novel that is beautiful in its story and also important in its message. A Walk Across the Sun deserves a wide audience."Then, as the novel transitioned into the point of view of Thomas, a lawyer in Washington D.C. struggling with the death of his baby daughter and his wife leaving him, the writing became more narrative. From that point, the writing didn't distract me from the story at all, in any of the points of view. The novel hooked me, but not as soon as I expected it would.As you can imagine, this novel is not pleasant to read. It deals with tough issues, pulls the characters from one side of the world to the other, and exposes the inhumanity rampant in our world. Two of the characters reflect this in a conversation they have: "'In places like this, it's hard to imagine that the world can be so ugly,' Thomas said. "'This is how it was meant to be,' Priya replied. 'The ugliness is our own fault.'"It's a bleak outlook, but seems all too true as Sita and Ahalya meet with a continuous string of scumbags - male and female, of varying nationalities, and in various countries.Fortunately, the novel also champions compassion, responsibility, and overcoming obstacles. But this isn't a black and white tale of good versus evil. The good guys have their weaknesses - they're not perfect, but they're trying to make the world a better place as best they can.Human trafficking is real, and though A Walk Across the Sun is a fictional story, it's based on the truth that there are millions of children exploited throughout the world in modern-day slavery. Few of their stories end happily.Addison has written a stellar novel that hits the reader where it hurts and draws attention to the abominable practice of selling human beings. A Walk Across the Sun is compelling, powerful, and heartbreaking - not a book for the faint-hearted.*The quotations in this post are from an advance reading copy of the book and could be different in the final version.