 | The North Water | Patrick Sumner, ex-British army doctor, signs up to join the Arctic-bound whaling ship Volunteer as surgeon, hoping that the reasons he left the army are not uncovered. On board he meets harpooner Drax, a man of violence and few morals. The whaling voyage is not great success and amidst the desolate Arctic wastes matters come to a head when a cabin-boy is discovered dead. | Terrific story. Everyone is flawed and/ or troubled. A struggle for survival where only the most strong-willed will survive. Short listed for Booker. |
