NEVER GO FULL PAI BY Jeffrey Eng

• Print Length: 261 pages
• Publication Date: December 10, 2019 (Ingram Spark)
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For fans of books like On the Road, Dharma Bums, and The Sun Also Rises, and inspired by travel writers such a Jack Kerouac, Paulo Coelho, and Paul Theroux, escape into a story that has plenty of heart and much to say about following one’s dream and the power of connection and friendship.

All night parties. Quick love affairs. Wild and carefree adventures. Perfectly filtered Instagram posts. A break from reality for most, but not everyone has a perfect life to return to when stepping off the road.

In Never Go Full Pai, immerse yourself in the world of backpacking and hostels. Join two young travelers on the backpacker circuit as they explore art, love, and develop an unlikely friendship during their adventures through Europe and Southeast Asia.

Follow Charlie, a young man unsure of his future - a limiting disability he knows all too well and a talent he doesn’t believe in. And Ace, a backpacker legend haunted by his past - someone who only knows how to do one thing when people get too close...run...and keep running.

REVIEWS:

Listed as one of the top 15 books for backpackers traveling in Southeast Asia - Bodega Hostel Group

"I could not turn the pages fast enough in this eloquently written book about travel, companionship, and love. Eng's debut novel is smooth and well-paced, the characters are adequately fleshed out, and he keeps the mystery alive till the end" - Reedsy Reviews

"Great backpacking book. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes travel or reading" - What the Pho Travel Podcast 

"I love that this book opened my eyes a bit more to the "backpacker" lifestyle. When I travel, I typically stay in Airbnbs, and the thought of a hostel has always seemed a little scary to me. I think this book is going to make an impact on several travelers to step out of their comfort zone. I'm more likely to try a hostel because of this book. [...] I love any book that inspires me to do more with my life. I give this book 5 stars!" 

-- Rachel White, Searching for Eloise Review Website

"It was great...Charlie had me hooked from the start...[Eng's] writing style really made me feel like I was sitting in Z's and walking the streets of Paris." - Mack Hollins, NFL Football Player (Curator of @MackbookMondays)

THOUGHTS/REVIEW:

This is an inspirational literary fiction novel about travel, love, loss and self-discovery that I gravitated to right from the very first page. I savored the book and enjoyed the wonderful prose not wanting this story to end. As a matter of fact, as soon as I finished, I started reading right from the first page all over again with a smile on my face. This was truly a penomenal storytelling, told at its best. 

I adored the writing style that connects the readers immediately to the characters that Author Jeffrey Eng centers this story on - Charlie and Ace. The vivid and rich descriptions of these exotic locations from the sound, smell, sweat and sinews of street vendors lining the bustling cities really took me right there making this the perfect escape read - the pub crawls, young crowd, music, and the drinking games so common in the hostel scene to get to know people from all over the world. These are all so richly told with its graphic descriptions that absorbed me righinto the story. 

Both of these characters have a heavy and difficult burden they carry from their pasts. Charlie and Ace were trying to escape from their troubles andwere both looking for answers in the far corners of the earth through traveling and backpacking. 

Charlie wasreeling from his father's recent death, whose illness he was sheltered from knowing for the last 10 years. He has now gathered enough courage, despite his slight disability having a brace in his leg, to a worldly adventure. His fear overcomes him and he is rescued by Ace and there begins a wonderful friendship. 

I found it truly cathartic to read this story where the characters pack their essentials into a backpack carrying the heavy weight on their shoulders almost as a form of penance, in an effort to explore the world in a journey of self-discovery - then only to find what they were searching for had been inside them all along. 

This was one of the most satisfying endings I have read in a while and I encourage you to pick this book up for a gripping story you can get lost in. 

Happy Reading! 

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT:

JEFFREY ENG was born in San Jose, California. He received his Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach, and has a Doctorate degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia. He has written several blogs and short stories while backpacking across six continents and 50+ countries. Jeffrey is the author of Never Go Full Pai, his debut novel. He currently lives in Oakland, California.