The Diplomat (paperback)

The Diplomat offers a fictional account of a first responder’s experience in a disaster, specifically the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Thailand. The sea, or nature, is the antagonist, always threatening to rise up and swallow everything while The Diplomat navigates the limits of bureaucracy and a confusingly mystical cultural and spiritual landscape. The book explores the depths of grief and compassion and relationships between the media and government in a crisis. Taking immediate action to help survivors and identify thousands of deceased, the Diplomat is haunted by a fear that he has forgotten something important.