The book starts out by introducing our main character, Greg Hammond. He is the CEO of Starling Worldwide, a massive media corporation that controls a global network of TV broadcast news outlets. Starling is one of a handful of corporations that decide what we as a collective society are fed through the airwaves. Greg is focused on one thing: profitability. Like so many humans, he thoughtlessly destroys the Earth’s resources for his own personal comforts. Then, he is struck down by a medical emergency. His life is almost ended in an instant, and as he is recuperating, he realizes despite his massive wealth, he is a poor man. He has no close family except his father, who upon learning about his son’s medical emergency has a stroke and loses his own ability to speak. Greg has no wife, no children, no people close to him, who actively care about him. He has his loyal assistant Michael, and his shareholders. They mostly care about his ability to earn them money.  Greg realizes if he continues to live his life joylessly, chasing the dollar, he will likely never know genuine happiness. 

In the shadow of Greg’s current crisis, his half-sister Lydia and her son Andre are eager to seize control of the Starling empire. They own pieces of it, but as long as Greg’s father is on his side, they have no way to take control. Throughout the novel, they consistently attempt to take control, especially as they see Greg’s moral compass strengthening and his singular focus on profit and money weakening. 

Then there is our female protagonist, Daria. She is a complex and fascinating character and I empathized with her immediately. Her worldview is the opposite of Greg’s worldview. She is a passionate humanitarian who spends her life giving of herself to others. She works tirelessly to raise money to support her causes around the world. She has a new project to support: empowerment for women in third-world countries through education.  She collaborates with the Equitable Health Alliance, an organization FOUNDED by world class humanitarian, Dr. Marc Wren. Daria is enamored with Dr. Wren’s heroic efforts. She is on a mission to fund his personal agenda as well as implement her own strategies and ideas. 

When Daria and Greg Hammond first meet, it seems to be a convergence of complete opposites. But they are both instinctively drawn to each other. Daria is put off by everything Greg stands for.  In Daria, Greg finds his reason to change his priorities.  

Daria’s ability to encourage change in a single person speaks volumes about what we can do to facilitate change in our own world. I finished this book feeling sad about how little I knew about the problems that plague not only other disadvantaged countries, but problems in our own backyard. Too many people prefer celebrity gossip over news of the real issues affecting our world. We are self-absorbed, and the news outlets do a great job of keeping us tethered to a fear-inducing, mind numbing news cycle that discourages the asking of questions. This book left me asking questions. I was captivated with the author’s ability to deftly create a work of fiction that was not only a very entertaining read, also made me look at our place in this world. We humans can do better. We must do better. 

Holland’s writing is detailed and imaginative. I was able to connect to the characters in a real way and felt sad after the story was over, as I would not be able to follow them on any more adventures (Sequel, please!) His use of dialogue also felt natural. It was as though I was in the room, listening in on each conversation. I simply could not put it down.