Historical

The North Water

The North Water

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  • Create Date：2021-11-28 09:51:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Ian McGuire
  • ISBN：1398511730
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Summary

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN NOTABLE BOOK 2016
SHORTLISTED FOR THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE 2017
-- Winner of the RSL Encore Award 2017 --

A ship sets sail with a killer on board 。 。 。
1859。 A man joins a whaling ship bound for the Arctic Circle。 Having left the British Army with his reputation in tatters， Patrick Sumner has little option but to accept the position of ship's surgeon on this ill-fated voyage。 But when， deep into the journey， a cabin boy is discovered brutally killed， Sumner finds himself forced to act。 Soon he will face an evil even greater than he had encountered at the siege of Delhi， in the shape of Henry Drax: harpooner， murderer， monster 。 。 。

'A tour de force' Hilary Mantel
'Riveting and darkly brilliant' Colm Tóibín

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Reviews

Chris Hendrickx ，

Had hier meer van verwacht。 De achterflap suggereerde een spannende， avontuurlijke roman。 Beetje teleurgesteld。

Peter ，

I commenced the reading of this novel， after having watched the TV drama。 I have to say the book is far better than the TV series。 the writing is stark and gritty， taking no prisoners in its representation of characters who are hard and unforgiving， living at a time when life’s opportunities and riches are hard won and in doing so the writing of the book makes no excuses in portraying that。An excellent story， with believable characters， and beautifully described scenes of death and survival， ugl I commenced the reading of this novel， after having watched the TV drama。 I have to say the book is far better than the TV series。 the writing is stark and gritty， taking no prisoners in its representation of characters who are hard and unforgiving， living at a time when life’s opportunities and riches are hard won and in doing so the writing of the book makes no excuses in portraying that。An excellent story， with believable characters， and beautifully described scenes of death and survival， ugliness and beauty in an excellent book， well worth the time it took to read， and left me looking for the next from a new author who clearly can write great tales of derringer do， and the human condition。 。。。more

LolaF ，

Un libro duro， frío， áspero e inhóspito como las tierras del norte。 Turbio， negro， depravado y violento como los actos que describe。 Una historia de muerte y supervivencia no apta para todos los públicos。 He aquí un hombre que tras un tropiezo busca una nueva oportunidad de rehacer su vida y por un miserable sueldo se enrola en un ballenero rumbo a las aguas del Norte。 Patrick Sumner es un hombre atormentado por unos remordimientos que trata de calmar con una cierta adicción， que esperaba tener Un libro duro， frío， áspero e inhóspito como las tierras del norte。 Turbio， negro， depravado y violento como los actos que describe。 Una historia de muerte y supervivencia no apta para todos los públicos。 He aquí un hombre que tras un tropiezo busca una nueva oportunidad de rehacer su vida y por un miserable sueldo se enrola en un ballenero rumbo a las aguas del Norte。 Patrick Sumner es un hombre atormentado por unos remordimientos que trata de calmar con una cierta adicción， que esperaba tener un viaje tranquilo a bordo del Volunteer。 Pero como podéis imaginar， el barco no llega a buen puerto y nuestro amigo se embarca en una aventura por las tierras del Ártico。 Hambre， violencia y frío sacuden a estos hombres en un "sálvese quien pueda"。Buena recreación del ambiente pútrido y marginal del puerto de Yorkshire， de las condiciones de vida en el barco y de la caza de ballenas。 Contraste con los valores y la forma de vida de las comunidades indígenas。 Un libro corto， que a pesar de su crudeza o tal vez por ella， te atrapa。 No puedes dejar de leer。 No es lo que me esperaba según la sinopsis， dado que Henry Drax tiene un papel importante en los hechos， pero el protagonista indiscutible es Patrick Sumner。 Por si alguien tiene alguna duda， aunque se mencione a un sangriento asesino， tampoco es un thriller， lo calificaría de narrativa， aventuras， con cierto punto de misterio。 En cualquier caso， es una de esas duras historias que puedes llegar a recordar con el tiempo。 Valoración: 9/10Lectura: noviembre 2021 。。。more

Sean ，

It's basically a car wreck with rape and diarrhea。 It's basically a car wreck with rape and diarrhea。 。。。more

uk ，

A solid and entertaining achievement。With all the ingredients for a memorable， unique story。Alas！ A too small match for Dan Simmons' "The Terror"。 A solid and entertaining achievement。With all the ingredients for a memorable， unique story。Alas！ A too small match for Dan Simmons' "The Terror"。 。。。more

bikerbuddy ，

Drew Hunt’s interview with Ian McGuire recorded at the end of my edition of The North Water foregrounds an aspect of my experience of reading this novel。 McGuire states， “I like to think of The North Water as a revisionist novel in the sense that it echoes and draws on earlier literary depictions of sea-faring， whale hunting， Arctic survival and so on…” McGuire cites Treasure Island， Call of the Wild and Moby Dick， and he highlights that the opening words of his novel are a direct allusion to Co Drew Hunt’s interview with Ian McGuire recorded at the end of my edition of The North Water foregrounds an aspect of my experience of reading this novel。 McGuire states， “I like to think of The North Water as a revisionist novel in the sense that it echoes and draws on earlier literary depictions of sea-faring， whale hunting， Arctic survival and so on…” McGuire cites Treasure Island， Call of the Wild and Moby Dick， and he highlights that the opening words of his novel are a direct allusion to Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian （“Behold the man” / “Behold the child”）。The novel’s links to Moby Dick are perhaps most obvious。 The North Water tells the story of an ill-fated whaling expedition in the Northwest Passage just before the onset of winter。 Captain Brownlee is no Ahab – he is not possessed by a singular obsession – but he is haunted by a previous voyage in the Percival， in which men died and survivors were forced to drink each other’s blood to survive。 Brownlee wants to set aside his ill-fortune and looks forward to a profitable hunting season。 He has hired three harpooners for the voyage and is eager to fill his hold。 But Baxter， the owner of Brownlee’s vessel， the Volunteer， has lost faith in the whaling industry – he believes it is in decline – and presses Brownlee to a darker and more troublesome course to make his money back。The depiction of life in the north – of Eskimos （or ‘Esquimaux’）， their hunting， customs and sled dogs – may recall Jack London’s Call of the Wild to the reader， and the sense of adventure and betrayal are also present in Stevenson’s Treasure Island， although the tone is completely different。 But my experience as I read was that I recalled darker tales: of Shelley’s Frankenstein pursuing his creature across the frozen northern wastes， or even Ged in Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea， who pursues the Shadow he has released across the archipelago of Earthsea。Because there is something deeply troubling driving the story of The North Water。 The Volunteer is peopled by men of various natures with different goals。 Patrick Sumner， the ship’s surgeon， has taken up his position while he awaits for a resolution to a legal challenge to an inheritance。 He has been dishonourably discharged from the army after an incident while serving in India， and he seeks to forget the past and make a new life for himself。 Brownlee desires to leave his reputation for bad luck behind him。 Cavendish， the ship’s first mate， sees opportunity in Baxter’s plans to scuttle the boat， while Henry Drax， a harpooner， is a man not given to thinking too much of the past or the future。 He lives instinctively， satisfying his whims and desires。 Before he has joined the voyage， he has killed a twelve year old boy and raped his corpse。 During the voyage， he will kill again， and his actions will challenge men like Sumner and Otto， another harpooner， to question what they believe about humanity。And it’s at this point as I write， that I recall another book， Conrad’s Heart of Darkness， with its journey into the dark heart of Africa and of men’s souls。 That’s the sense I had as I read this book: of those stories where the physical journey correlates to an inward journey， revealing the dark underbelly of humanity， the increasing distance between wherever here is， and the civilised world the protagonist has left behind， as the restraints of society are gradually removed。 In the barren world of the arctic circle， where ice sheets smash against each other and just being outside can kill you， as can the bears， the actions of men become removed from the rules that would normally govern them。 For Sumner， morality is neutral， a mere absence of evil， and therefore a norm。 But for Otto， a man deeply invested in the word of God， evil is a kind of choice， of turning away from God， meaning there is also a choice in being good。 “The only devil is the one inside ourselves，” he tells the blacksmith who attempts to attribute supernatural agency in Drax’s escape。 For Drax， however， there is no delineation between what other men call good and evil: “One thing happens， then another comes after it。 Why is the first thing more important than the second？” he asks Sumner， who attempts to attribute a meaning to his actions。 “I’m a doer not a thinker， me。 I follow my inclination。” 。。。。。。Read my full review of The North Water by Ian McGuire on the Reading Project 。。。more

Raul Ferrandez ，

Viendo la mayoría de las reseñas en castellano del libro siento que algo se me ha escapado con este libro。 Es posible que el mayor problema es que me esperaba otra clase de libro， donde asesinatos y resolución fueran el eje central de la trama。No tengo nada en contra del libro y tampoco nada que me haya hecho decir ¡brutal！ El ambiente opresivo y la penuria está muy bien conseguido y las descripciones de la vida marítima son detalladas y logradas。 Pero me da la sensación de que pasa por todo muy Viendo la mayoría de las reseñas en castellano del libro siento que algo se me ha escapado con este libro。 Es posible que el mayor problema es que me esperaba otra clase de libro， donde asesinatos y resolución fueran el eje central de la trama。No tengo nada en contra del libro y tampoco nada que me haya hecho decir ¡brutal！ El ambiente opresivo y la penuria está muy bien conseguido y las descripciones de la vida marítima son detalladas y logradas。 Pero me da la sensación de que pasa por todo muy superficialmente， se me quedan cortos casi todos los frentes abiertos: en la India， con los yaks， el anillo，。。。Todo es previsible， y aunque esto no tiene por qué ser negativo， le quita parte de la emoción que busco en este tipo de libros。Con todo， una lectura recomendable si no se busca una novela negra/thriller al uso。 。。。more

Labijose ，

Una novela “brutal”， que me ha recordado irremediablemente a una mezcla entre “1793”， de Niklas Natt， y “El terror”， de Dean Simmons。 Contiene todos los elementos que me atraen en este tipo de lecturas。 Estamos en un ballenero en 1859 （escenas navales y novela histórica）， en plena Groenlandia （frío， mucho frío）。 Y， además， hay aventura y crímenes。 Si a ese cocktail le añadimos una narración trepidante， y unas descripciones que no escatiman en detalles escatológicos （condiciones higiénicas lament Una novela “brutal”， que me ha recordado irremediablemente a una mezcla entre “1793”， de Niklas Natt， y “El terror”， de Dean Simmons。 Contiene todos los elementos que me atraen en este tipo de lecturas。 Estamos en un ballenero en 1859 （escenas navales y novela histórica）， en plena Groenlandia （frío， mucho frío）。 Y， además， hay aventura y crímenes。 Si a ese cocktail le añadimos una narración trepidante， y unas descripciones que no escatiman en detalles escatológicos （condiciones higiénicas lamentables， brutalidad humana， violencia primigenia）， pero ¡ojo！ nada gratuitos， y unas escenas que te atrapan y se te quedan pegadas durante toda la lectura， poco más le puedo pedir para quedar plenamente satisfecho y， concederle， con todo merecimiento， mis cinco estrellas。 Y más， si las hubiera。 Avisado queda el lector de que no es una lectura fácil， por el contenido que ya he mencionado。 Habrá sensibilidades que no aceptarán tales descripciones。 Pero los que hayan podido leer las dos novelas que refiero al principio no tendrán problema alguno para embarcarse con semejante tripulación a bordo del “Volunteer”， y disfrutar de esta joya。 Eso sí， bien abrigados。 。。。more

Katie ，

All the way through this， I kept wondering whether I would have enjoyed the book if I hadn’t have watched the AMC/BBC series before I read it。 Now， having finished it， I still don’t have an answer to that。 Although its location and themes are right up my street （the Arctic in the mid 1800s， ships off the edge of the world， characters trying to carve and decipher their identities）， I found its bleakness and callous nature both a selling point and a turn-off。 There’s not a single uplifting moment; All the way through this， I kept wondering whether I would have enjoyed the book if I hadn’t have watched the AMC/BBC series before I read it。 Now， having finished it， I still don’t have an answer to that。 Although its location and themes are right up my street （the Arctic in the mid 1800s， ships off the edge of the world， characters trying to carve and decipher their identities）， I found its bleakness and callous nature both a selling point and a turn-off。 There’s not a single uplifting moment; it is rough and raw and doesn’t relent in its telling of how terrible humanity is。 Which is kinda to be expected when it’s set on a crowded whaling ship full of pretty nasty crew mates， chief of all nasties being the murderer and rapist， Henry Drax。 I think the writing style was exceptional and was very evocative for its atmosphere （matched very well by the series， by the way）。 There are no real good spins that can be taken on this plotline， no real happiness that could have been added because that would have been。。。。wrong， perhaps？ Maybe not for the historical aspect as I don’t believe that lives at sea were this remorselessly black bleak all the time， but for the aura of the book。 However， there was only so much blood and rape and vomit and shit and piss and bodily odour and illness that I could take before I thought。。。alright， can we just idk look at the sea and ice for a bit or something？So， yeah， I’m still in two minds about it。 The writing is brilliant， the plotting and pace is great， and the characters were mostly pretty interesting （Drax， although awful， is quite compelling， and Sumner provides quite a good， extremely morally grey ‘protagonist’， if he can be called that）。 But ehhh I just couldn’t delve into it whole-heartedly。 Which is sort of what I thought about the series too。 Brilliant in some ways， but。。。strangely lacking in others？ 。。。more

Herrholz Paul ，

I watched the TV series and decided to read the book as well。 It is not a pretty tale。 But there is something compelling and strangely alluring about it。 The characters which are well drawn inhabit a world where the whaling industry is under threat from overfishing and the invention of petroleum。 The advent of the steam engine also means that the age of sail is coming to an end。 This is the backdrop as they set sail from Hull and head for Greenland aboard the sailing bark Volunteer。The villain， I watched the TV series and decided to read the book as well。 It is not a pretty tale。 But there is something compelling and strangely alluring about it。 The characters which are well drawn inhabit a world where the whaling industry is under threat from overfishing and the invention of petroleum。 The advent of the steam engine also means that the age of sail is coming to an end。 This is the backdrop as they set sail from Hull and head for Greenland aboard the sailing bark Volunteer。The villain， Drax， who is central to the plot might seem to be simple minded， but underneath the gruff exterior there is a philosophy which questions the moral landscape by which society dictates what man may and may not do。 The ship’s surgeon Sumner and Drax make up the main character play as the story unfolds。You might say this book is not for the faint hearted， but the horrific and gory episodes are portrayed with artful verisimilitude which gives the brutality a fascinating lurid quality。 This is helped by the stark harshness of the arctic environment where much of the narrative is enacted。 。。。more

Angela Jones ，

I usually give 4 stars to a book I would recommend but this is not a book for the faint hearted。 I’ll still give it 4 stars and would recommend it。 It’s compelling with eye-watering painful descriptions of brutality。 Alongside the breath taking vistas of the vast expanses of ice and water。 Ian McGuire is also particularly good at describing smells that nearly make you gag！！ It’s brutal and harsh but there’s something magical in his writing。

Brenna Crosby ，

One sentence synopsis… A propulsive journey across the north water on a whaling expedition follows a disgraced Irish surgeon， a psychopathic harpooner， amongst a cast of violent， unfortunate men。Read it if you like… ‘The Terror’ or ‘Godless’。Dream casting… unfortunately this was a case of knowing who was cast in the show before reading the book。 As a result I could only picture Colin Farrell as Drax and Jack O’Connell as Sumner。 That being said， I’m not mad。

Bobby ，

I liked this a lot。 I wasn't sure at first， being worried that it might be too heavy on terrible people doing terrible things in terrible circumstances。 But I really liked the character of Sumner as someone who has a troubled past himself but also acts as the book's moral compass though he's surrounded by people who are either evil， just brutish， or only concerned with their own profit。 I found it rewarding to see a decent person struggle， survive， and remain decent although changed by his ordea I liked this a lot。 I wasn't sure at first， being worried that it might be too heavy on terrible people doing terrible things in terrible circumstances。 But I really liked the character of Sumner as someone who has a troubled past himself but also acts as the book's moral compass though he's surrounded by people who are either evil， just brutish， or only concerned with their own profit。 I found it rewarding to see a decent person struggle， survive， and remain decent although changed by his ordeal。 。。。more

Karl G。 King ，

This was a crude， ugly， terrible story。

Douglas Maccutcheon ，

This book mixes two of my favorite things to read about: tales of ocean voyages and characters whose malignancy reaches philosophical and even mystical proportions。 “So you have no remorse for your actions？ No guilt for what you’ve done？”Drax’s mouth lolls half open; he wrinkles up his nose and sniffs。“Did you think I was going to murder you down in the cabin？” he asks。 “Split open your skull like I did Brownlee。 Is that what you were thinking？”“What else were you intending？”“Oh， I don’t intend This book mixes two of my favorite things to read about: tales of ocean voyages and characters whose malignancy reaches philosophical and even mystical proportions。 “So you have no remorse for your actions？ No guilt for what you’ve done？”Drax’s mouth lolls half open; he wrinkles up his nose and sniffs。“Did you think I was going to murder you down in the cabin？” he asks。 “Split open your skull like I did Brownlee。 Is that what you were thinking？”“What else were you intending？”“Oh， I don’t intend too much。 I’m a doer， not a thinker， me。 I follow my inclination。”“You have no conscience then？”“One thing happens， then another comes after it。 Why is the first thing more important than the second？”“Because each action is separate and distinct; some are good and some are evil。”Drax sniffs again and scratches himself。“Them’s just words。 If they hang me， they will hang me ’cause they can， and ’cause they wish to do it。 They will be following their own inclination as I follow mine。”“You recognize no authority at all then， no right or wrong beyond yourself？”Drax shrugs and bares his upper teeth in something like a grin。“Men like you ask such questions to satisfy themselves，” he says。 “To make them feel cleverer or cleaner than the rest。 But they int。”“You truly believe we are all like you？ How is that possible？ Am I a murderer like you are？ Is that what you accuse me of？”“I seen enough killing to suspect I int the only one to do it。 I’m a man like any other， give or take。”Sumner shakes his head。“No，” he says。 “That I won’t accept。”“You please yourself， as I please myself。 You accept what suits you and you reject what don’t。 The law is just a name they give to what a certain kind of men prefer。”Drax is not quite as articulate （or verbose） in his malignancy as The Judge from Blood Meridian， but they are certainly cut from the same cloth。 。。。more

Barbara Vazquez ，

No he terminado no el primer capítulo， en el que ya hay un asesinato muy violento y la violación de un niño。 Empezando así， no sé qué puede reservar para el final， ni quiero averiguarlo。 A otra cosa。

Beeble1133 ，

Loved this book。A brutal， interesting， action packed story that you do not want to put down。

Liam ，

Not for the faint hearted and certainly not the squeamish but well written and one of those books that are not easily forgotten。

Mark ，

Would give it 3。5 stars。Although， reconsidering。 Let's end with 4。Perhaps partly because I read it after watching the TV show。BTW， the TV show is almost identical to the book。 And partly because of artificial circumstances that I felt in the story。There are too many stupid and unfit people in too many key occupations。The last part with Sumner and the bear could be described as pure bizarre fictional luck。The writing is really good， imo。 Got the feeling that the book was written much earlier then Would give it 3。5 stars。Although， reconsidering。 Let's end with 4。Perhaps partly because I read it after watching the TV show。BTW， the TV show is almost identical to the book。 And partly because of artificial circumstances that I felt in the story。There are too many stupid and unfit people in too many key occupations。The last part with Sumner and the bear could be described as pure bizarre fictional luck。The writing is really good， imo。 Got the feeling that the book was written much earlier then 2016。Some parts of the story are skimmed。 We either go fast forward or jump entirely from one scene to another with a single sentence to bridge the gap。 Also， the end is kind of moot。 。。。more

Trevor ，

This is an incredible book which I wholeheartedly endorse but it will certainly not be to everyone's taste。 The story concerns Patrick Sumner， a disgraced military surgeon who accepts a position as ship's doctor on a whaling ship bound for the arctic circle。 To say the crew are a rough lot would be a masterpiece of understatement， and a ships boy is soon found brutally murdered。 The finger of suspicion soon points to Henry Drax who is described on the back cover as 'harpooner， murderer， monster。 This is an incredible book which I wholeheartedly endorse but it will certainly not be to everyone's taste。 The story concerns Patrick Sumner， a disgraced military surgeon who accepts a position as ship's doctor on a whaling ship bound for the arctic circle。 To say the crew are a rough lot would be a masterpiece of understatement， and a ships boy is soon found brutally murdered。 The finger of suspicion soon points to Henry Drax who is described on the back cover as 'harpooner， murderer， monster。。。'。 Whaling in the Arctic circle is hazardous at the best of times but the ship and crew suffer multiple 'misfortunes' which to share would be too spoil。 Needless to say， this is a rattling good novel， set against a background of hardship， murder and multiple plotting。 For me， what made the book particularly enjoyable was McGuire's prose style which is absolutely of the highest order。 His description of whaling was particularly confident。 At the back of the book is an interview with the author who references Jack London's Call of the Wild， Conrad， and Melville as well as Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian。 I see all of those， but also tales of Scott's expedition to the antarctic and more recently Michael Palin's Erebus， which is a fabulous book。 Palin book and Scott's expedition were in most respects tales of heroism and failure。 The North Water is a study of evil， of amorality and of hardship - the common factor being ice and cold。 In places it is not easy reading - too often life is held cheap and violence in unplanned and almost random。 I was a little uncertain about how the book concluded。 Although the end was neat， I'm not entirely sure it was satisfactory。 。。。more

szelma89 ，

3。5

Danny Johnson ，

"A layer of ice forms on the inside of the tent and the very air itself feels viscous and gelid。 All night， triple layered in wool， flannel and oilskin， clustered together like the victims of a sudden massacre， men shudder and spasm and jolt themselves awake。" "A layer of ice forms on the inside of the tent and the very air itself feels viscous and gelid。 All night， triple layered in wool， flannel and oilskin， clustered together like the victims of a sudden massacre， men shudder and spasm and jolt themselves awake。" 。。。more

shane grant ，

Like a storm， this is brutal， harsh， cold， wet and unrelenting。 Which is fine if you like that sort of thing， I suppose。

Ashley ，

4。5 stars。Well， that was an entirely bleak experience。。。The best way to describe this novel is to say that it's grit-lit but， set at sea。 It has everything you'd expect of the genre， blood， violence and an unflinchingly accurate depiction of the struggles of the working class。 But， it's also so much more than just another grit-lit novel。 This story has soul， it has heart， it's one of those books that's impossible to forget once you're done with it。 It's absolutely brutally disgusting， written wi 4。5 stars。Well， that was an entirely bleak experience。。。The best way to describe this novel is to say that it's grit-lit but， set at sea。 It has everything you'd expect of the genre， blood， violence and an unflinchingly accurate depiction of the struggles of the working class。 But， it's also so much more than just another grit-lit novel。 This story has soul， it has heart， it's one of those books that's impossible to forget once you're done with it。 It's absolutely brutally disgusting， written with a stark vividness that allows you to picture every gruesome little detail。Though he isn't the main character， Drax is the star of this story。 He's entirely morally bankrupt， he's bestial， almost feral， acting upon his impulses and desires with no rhyme or reason。 Honestly， it's hard to actually like any of the characters， these are all men at their most uncivilized， these are all men overtaken by their selfish desires。This isn't any old survival story， this right here is a masterpiece， and is a novel that I won't be forgetting any time soon。 。。。more

Carole ，

cant believe I finished it。 I nearly quit a few times。 Too violent and profane for my taste but then this was a ship full of brutal sailors on a whaling ship。I wont say anything more。 glad i'm done with it。 cant believe I finished it。 I nearly quit a few times。 Too violent and profane for my taste but then this was a ship full of brutal sailors on a whaling ship。I wont say anything more。 glad i'm done with it。 。。。more

Dominic Lumsden ，

Great read！Atmospheric and disturbing。 Excellent level of detail without being overbearing。 Definitely recommend as one to read straight through with no breaks 。

Jonathan Gruber ，

Starts out slowly but becomes a compelling tale of survival and evil， along with a gripping description of survival in the artic。 The antagonist is so evil that it is almost offputting how casually he commits evil deeds。 Outstanding ending。

Shar ，

I started to read this book about 1。5 years into the pandemic。 I saw an advertisment for a movie made from the novel。 Unfortunately， I could not finish due to horrific rape and murder of two different children （considered children during that epoch）。 One of the protagonists （narrators） is a pathological killer who just can not help himself， it seems。 The story， involving a morphine-addicted doctor on a whaling ship， was not interesting enough for me。 The author certainly researched enough， using I started to read this book about 1。5 years into the pandemic。 I saw an advertisment for a movie made from the novel。 Unfortunately， I could not finish due to horrific rape and murder of two different children （considered children during that epoch）。 One of the protagonists （narrators） is a pathological killer who just can not help himself， it seems。 The story， involving a morphine-addicted doctor on a whaling ship， was not interesting enough for me。 The author certainly researched enough， using a lot of terms I did not understand about the whaling industry at that time。 Again， I think it was the horrible violence against innocents that put me off。 。。。more

Sharyne ，

I don’t know why I read this book。 I found it hard to finish。 Too much animal cruelty for me。

Hilary ，

Fascinating but very dark。 Not an uplifting book！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The North Water

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The North Water&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The North Water&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0