The North Water (novel)


The North Water is a 2016 novel by English author and academic Ian McGuire. McGuire's focus of study and field of interest is American realist literature which is defined as, "...the faithful representation of reality" The Guardian's reviewer writes, "The strength of The North Water lies in its well-researched detail and persuasive descriptions of the cold, violence, cruelty and the raw, bloody business of whale-killing." The headline of the Independent Book Review "Ian McGuire, The North Water: 'Subtle as a harpoon in the head, but totally gripping', book review" reinforces the realist aspect of the writing.

Plot

The north water of the title is where ships sail to in the hunt to harvest whales. The novel opens in Hull where the industry is under threat with paraffin and coal oil replacing whale oil. We meet Henry Drax a harpooner who rapes and kills a child, "... a brute, a vacuum into which men and boys are sucked and do not emerge alive" Joining as ships doctor is Irishman Patrick Sumner a disgraced former British army surgeon with a murky past in India. They set sail on the Volunteer under Captain Brownlee who lost his last ship and crew and in league with the owner Baxter intends to scuttle the Volunteer in an insurance scam.

Awards and honors