This well-written and well-imagined book offers readers a diverse collection of stories that help explain exactly how nine different individuals found themselves in the visa office of the Indian Consulate during an earthquake. The characters were certainly a group of unique individuals, but each could have been further fleshed-out to create a more satisfying experience for the reader. I would have appreciate more interaction and evidence of charcter growth in the present-day circumstances, rather than just the backstories presented in the narrative. I also wasn't too thrilled with the rather abrupt ending (nothing more on that to avoid any spoliers). All in all, an enjoyable read that left me feeling vaguely dissatisified because I feel it could have been so much more. ( )

Set aside a few hours for this novella, because once you start, it's impossible to put it down. I love a story that makes you forget the outside world as you fall into it, and that's what happens with "One Amazing Thing."

It's the story of several people who are caught together in an Indian visa office, somewhere in the United States, in the aftermath of a sudden earthquake. The characters represent the fabric of America, as they come from different socioeconomic, ethnic and age groups. It's a beautiful exploration of who people really are beyond the surface. As the story begins, it's easy for the reader-- and other characters-- to make assumptions about the characters based on their behavior in the office.

As time wears on and the people in the office, trapped with a dwindling supply of food and water, begin to panic, one of them has the idea that they should each share a story from their life-- "one amazing thing." As the stories unfold, the masks fall away and even spouses are surprised to learn things about each other that they never realized. The characters become completely honest and real in ways that people sometimes only can in life or death situations.

The story moves back and forth between the characters' stories and the present situation in the office. As they struggle to survive the tension builds. They must put aside individual needs for the common good, and trust their lives to strangers. The result of this perfectly balanced story is like a literary symphony; it builds, swells to a taut crescendo, and leaves you haunted by the last echoing strains of the tale. As they struggle with whether to fight for survival or resign themselves to dying in the rubble, the stories provide both a distraction and a reason to keep going. The writing is captivating and makes you see, hear and experience just as though you're there with the survivors. It's impossible not to get drawn in. Very highly recommended. ( )