Book Review: "The Night Ship" by Jess Kidd

If you're like me then you've always been interested in the Wreck of the Batavia - a ship on which some horrifying things happened. I was not looking for this book when I found it, it was simply a recommendation and I was pretty glad I clicked on it whilst scrolling. The book takes place in two different timelines: one in which the Batavia is setting sail and it is clear there are dangers aboard, and then the other in which a young boy over 350 years' later is sent to live with his grandfather - he becomes very interested in the stories of the Batavia and how the seas cannot be tamed.

Nine-year-old Mayken, a brave and curious child, boards the ship Batavia with her nursemaid Imke. Their goal is to reach the Dutch East Indies, where Mayken hopes to reunite with her father, a figure who is absent but central to her emotional drive. Mayken’s world is a rigid hierarchy of passengers, where class dictates everything, and she must navigate this environment with her childlike innocence. However, even early on, it’s clear that the voyage holds more danger than she anticipates​. Once things start to happen - there is a clear superstitious notion in the air and one that is clearly dependent on survival of the fittest. The atmosphere is immediately daring and dark, pieces of it falling away into the oblivion every now and again. Mayken must try to keep her own peace through this time.

Early in the voyage, Imke falls gravely ill. Mayken, drawing from her superstitious upbringing, becomes convinced that the sickness is caused by a mythical eel-like monster, known in local folklore. This belief drives her to explore the ship’s dark, hidden corners, searching for a way to save her nursemaid. Her adventures through the Batavia add a layer of magical realism to the story, combining childhood imagination with the harsh realities of ship life​. It is weird how eager Mayken is to explore the ship as a girl who is raised to believe she should not even be talking to certain people because of their class. Mayken is more naive than loveable and the reader believes that her silliness may put her nursemaid in more peril than happiness.

In the narrative set over 350 years later, Gil, a boy who recently lost his mother, is sent to live with his gruff, emotionally distant grandfather on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia. The island, home to shipwrecks and ruins, feels disconnected from modern life, and Gil struggles to find solace in this isolated, barren place. The island where he now lives is the same place where the Batavia shipwreck occurred centuries before, creating a deep sense of connection between the timelines. The interest that is rendered within Gil seems to be fostering and keeping that connection alive.

Though separated by centuries, Mayken and Gil reflect striking similarities amidst their starkly different atmospheres. Mayken's world aboard the Batavia is rife with the oppressive heat, the salty air, and the looming threat of mutiny that hangs like a storm cloud over the ship. This environment forces her into a realm of independence from a young age, where she must navigate both the ship's physical dangers and the complex social dynamics of its passengers and crew. This is similar to Gil in which he must assert his independence amongst those around him since only he has experienced truly, what it has meant to lose his mother.

The best thing about this book is its writing style. There is a definite darkness to it and so, it is no wonder as to why it was selected for BBC Two's Between the Covers reading list. It is one of those books that mixes the magical realism of the newness of the world for Mayken and the dark, brooding nature of the new world for Gil, swapping nd changing them as Gil becomes interested in the ship and Mayken becomes involved in the mystery of ship life. The uncertainty of the nautical journey alongside the untameable seas create a terrifying atmosphere of 'what if' - something that Mayken will experience first hand.

If you do not know about the Batavia then I suggest you check it out. There are lots of podcasts and video essays about it, there are also a lot of books. It is a brilliant historical account and there are many authors, like Jess Kidd, who have been inspired by this horrific and doomed journey to a new home across the raging seas.