Book Review: "The North Water" by Ian McGuire

Yes I am still reading books about the sea and I don't think I am going to stop any time soon. I've read a ton of nonfiction including books like Into the Raging Sea and Dead Wake. But now, I've become fascinated by fiction as well. A while ago, I read a book that terrified me called The Terror by Dan Simmons and I absolutely adored it. This led me towards some other books about the sea - one of the books I was most fascinated by and wanted to read was called The North Water. But this isn't before I read The Night Ship by Jess Kidd - which was a fantastic piece of fiction based upon the Batavia. Now, on to The North Water and why it drew me in so much...

The novel begins in Hull, England, in 1859, a time when the whaling industry is in decline due to overfishing and the rise of alternative sources of oil. The grimy, brutal world of whaling is painted vividly, with the city itself depicted as a place of violence, squalor, and moral decay. The reader is introduced to the ship Volunteer, a whaler embarking on a perilous journey to the Arctic. The ship's mission appears straightforward: to hunt whales and return with oil, but darker motives soon come to light. I love books about ships embarking on dangerous journey which is foreshadowed to be doomed because of its perils. Then we have all these complex and morally questionable characters involved - it does remind me of The Terror in some ways. In others though, it is completely original.

Patrick Sumner, a disgraced Irish surgeon, joins the crew of the Volunteer as the ship's doctor. Haunted by his experiences in the Indian Mutiny and burdened by a tarnished reputation, Sumner sees the voyage as a chance for escape and renewal. Sumner’s background is gradually revealed, including his addiction to laudanum, his disillusionment with life, and the trauma of witnessing atrocities during his military service. When Sumner has this weird accident aboard the ship in which he is plunged into ice-cold waters and almost dies. Demanding Laudanum, he stays barely alive but makes a good enough recovery.

Henry Drax, the ship’s harpooner, is introduced as a man of almost pure malevolence. The novel opens with Drax committing a brutal and senseless murder, establishing his character as a representation of unrepentant savagery. Drax’s actions aboard the ship, including his bullying of weaker crew members and his unflinching cruelty, create a sense of dread. His moral emptiness sets him apart, making him a central antagonist in the narrative. I find it fascinating that we already know that Henry Drax is evil from the beginning when he kills two people within the first chapter or so of the book - he is a purely sociopathic antagonist.

The murder of a cabin boy is discovered, shocking the crew. Suspicion quickly falls on Drax, whose predatory behaviour makes him an obvious suspect. Sumner is tasked with investigating the crime, setting up a moral confrontation between himself and Drax. This subplot adds a layer of psychological tension to the novel. Initially Drax tries to pin the murder on another person who is adamant they are innocent. After discovering that he is, in fact innocent, the blame very quickly falls on Drax who I believe, was kind of a sociopath anyway and so should have been the first person they looked at.

It is revealed that the voyage of the Volunteer is not primarily about whaling. The ship’s owner, Baxter, has orchestrated an insurance fraud scheme, intending to scuttle the vessel and collect the payout. When the ship's fate is sealed, there are a number of issues and one of them is Drax getting away. I loved the way this book apparently come to a climax and yet, there is so much left to discover.

All in all, this book was absolutely incredible. The tension was constantly high, from the very start of the book there was a sense of real danger and, in the characters we could truly see the way in which doom set in across every single person. I hope to find more books like this and honestly, if you have any recommendations - drop them below.