Shake the Jar by Kevin Barry O’Connor challenges the idea of fate versus free will and nudges individuals to take responsibility for the legacies that they inherit from their ancestors. Perfect for action and adventure enthusiasts, fans of historical thrillers and speculative fiction, and readers interested in military history and espionage.
Which line stood out from all the others in the book?
The black ants and red ants start fighting.
They get confused. Both think the other is out to attack them.
They don’t ask the real Question. Who shook the jar.
General Summary for Context:
The story is a fast-paced thriller and it is a part of the Ancestral Memory series. In this third installment, the protagonist continues to harness his rare genetic gift of ancestral memory. This allows him to access the lived experiences of his ancestors to solve present-day threats and problems. He is drawn into a new global conspiracy where past secrets and modern dangers collide, forcing him to confront both his lineage and his own destiny.
Concise Review:
The story follows the key protagonists – an anthropologist and her husband who are determined to uncover their own destiny and other past secrets. The anthropologist experiences vivid ancestral memories, including a harrowing nineteenth century battlefield scene where her ancestor, a Spanish-Moorish soldier, kills a man during Chile’s War of Independence. She is now determined to uncover her family’s origins to know her past. She and her husband, who also shares the Ancestral Memory Gene, embark on a perilous journey tracking clues from Jamaica to Chile and into Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle involving drugs and human trafficking. Their quest leads them into a dangerous conspiracy involving global geopolitical issues, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s ambitions toward Taiwan.
As they pursue their instincts and intuition and uncover further layers of the conspiracy, they confront a covert operation entrenched in the heart of the Golden Triangle, forcing the husband to make a critical decision that could impact millions of people and thwart a potential major disaster. The book is recommended for all action and adventure fans who are interested in reading historical thrillers, speculative fiction, and thought-provoking suspense.
General Thoughts on the Novel:
The story is tense, thought-provoking, and action-oriented. There is a sense of urgency throughout the story, which is enhanced by the global conspiracies and the deep and personal stakes of the characters in the story. The writing style is fast, crisp, and engaging, thereby immersing the reader in the different foreign landscapes and emotional states of the characters. At the same time it also balances the plot with moments of reflection and personal discovery that deepen the emotional impact of the story. The story highlights the importance of confronting our past, and the connections between personal history and global events.
The plot weaves together multiple timelines—ancient memories and modern-day events—revealing how the past shapes the present and the future. The title of the book beautifully encapsulates the essence of the novel—an exploration of the past’s influence on the present and the chaos that ensues when buried secrets come to light.
