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    The North Water: A Novel
    The North Water: A Novel
    The North Water: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    The North Water: A Novel

    Written by Ian McGuire

    Narrated by John Keating

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Now an AMC+ original miniseries event starring Colin Farrell and Jack O'Connell! A nineteenth-century whaling ship sets sail for the Arctic with a killer aboard in this dark, sharp, and highly original tale that grips like a thriller

    One of The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year, and named a Best Book of the Year by The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Publishers Weekly, and The Chicago Public Library

    Behold the man: stinking, drunk, and brutal. Henry Drax is a harpooner on the Volunteer, a Yorkshire whaler bound for the rich hunting waters of the arctic circle. Also aboard for the first time is Patrick Sumner, an ex-army surgeon with a shattered reputation, no money, and no better option than to sail as the ship's medic on this violent, filthy, and ill-fated voyage.

    In India, during the Siege of Delhi, Sumner thought he had experienced the depths to which man can stoop. He had hoped to find temporary respite on the Volunteer, but rest proves impossible with Drax on board. The discovery of something evil in the hold rouses Sumner to action. And as the confrontation between the two men plays out amid the freezing darkness of an arctic winter, the fateful question arises: who will survive until spring?

    With savage, unstoppable momentum and the blackest wit, Ian McGuire's The North Water weaves a superlative story of humanity under the most extreme conditions.

    National Bestseller

    Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize

    Winner of the RSL Encore Award

    Finalist for the Los Angeles Book Prize

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateMay 17, 2016
    ISBN9781427267924
    The North Water: A Novel
    Author

    Ian McGuire

    Ian McGuire grew up near Hull and studied at the University of Manchester and the University of Virginia, USA. In 2007 he co-founded the University of Manchester's Centre for New Writing. He is the author of Incredible Bodies and the 2016 Man Booker-longlisted novel, The North Water, for which he won the Royal Society of Literature's Encore Award. The Abstainer is his third novel. 

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    Reviews for The North Water

    4/5

    460 ratings55 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This was a....gripping story! Almost throwing this time period at you, the author did an amazing job of making it seem all too visible in my mind as I read what was happening. It was hard to like ANY of the characters---other than perhaps the priest. Yes, Sumner had his definite right versus wrong reactions which improved his appeal. Showing human beings at their most basic living beings trying to survive under extremely challenging conditions but mixed in with a tremendous number of cultural differences, makes one wonder how anyone would be expected to behave. It was a very readable novel but the end left me wondering what would, or even should, happen to Sumner.
    • 5/5
      The North Water is a violent, brutal novel, but also a beautifully written one. Here's a quote: "The ache he feels is his body speaking its needs, talking to him?sometimes a whisper, sometimes a mumble, sometimes a shriek. It never goes silent; if it ever goes silent then he will know that he is finally dead..."The story is about Patrick Sumner, a British, army surgeon who lost his position due to a combination of bad decisions and bad luck. His options are so limited he signs up as a medic on a whaling ship with a crew that has more than its share of corrupt sailors. Henry Drax is one of the harpooners and a brutal man, willing to do anything for a chance at riches. What plays out is both upsetting and fascinating.Steve Lindahl author of Hopatcong Vision Quest, White Horse Regressions, and Motherless Soul
    • 4/5
      It seems that when an author sets out to write a literary thriller, he inevitably ends up falling more on one side or the other--the book ultimately ends up being more of a literary work, or more of a thriller. The North Water, by its rather improbable climax, where the villain re-appears after having disappeared in a surely unsurvivable situation, elects to fall on the thriller side.But a fine thriller it is. The setting: a mid-19th century whaling ship on an ill-fated voyage. Not only has the ship's owner instructed the captain to take it onto a purposely self-destructive course into the Arctic "north water," but there is also a psychopathic killer among the crew. Set against the conspirators is the ship's surgeon, a veteran of the British army in India, who has his own checkered past he wishes to put behind him.The dangers come not only from the evil of human machinations, but also the deadly harshness of the high-latitude environment: cold, ice, bears. Ian McGuire is effective at creating atmosphere, from the reeking streets of the whaling ports to the dankness of a ship's hold, so the reader can feel the bitingness of the cold and smell the rank closeness of an unbathed shipmate who has spent the weeks of a voyage dealing with grease and whaling oil.But it would have been OK if the novel hadn't succumbed so fully to the conventions of a thriller, and concluded with some loose ends. Everything doesn't need to tied up so tidily. After all, that's life.
    • 1/5
      Brutal in nature and even more so in human nature.
    • 5/5
      The North Water by Ian McGuire is an incredible novel, a gritty, disgusting, harrowing read. There are no angels, only devils. And these devils are some nasty pieces of work. But I found the story to be fascinating and McGuire's depiction of the era and the lifestyle so believable, that I literally inhaled the story. I did think of Captain Ahab's quest for Moby Dick as Sumner pursued the polar bear. I also was reminded of Andrea Barrett's The Voyage of the Narwhal, one of my favorite books. Neither compares in sheer violence and tension to The North Water. It's dark and haunting.
    • 4/5
      Novels that take you some place new or foreign are a delight. Think of the Bangkok of the Bangkok 8 series or how [Wolf Hall] seamlessly transports you to Henry VIII's kingdom or how Robert Harris's novel about the Dreyfus affair takes you to late 19th century Paris. Ian McGuire pulls off the same magical feat in [The North Water].Set mostly on a small whaling vessel in the mid-19th century, this spellbinding novel captures the feel, the look, even the smell of whaling. While it's no [Moby Dick]--something we can all be grateful for--the details of the whaling are fascinating. Clearly the author has done significant research.For my tastes, the book has a bit too much plot, with at least three threads. Any one of these could have been a book, but together they make the novel seem crowded. Each thread is exciting, but the reader never has quite enough time to sink fully into the thread before something else comes along.One other minor quibble: the author occasionally feels the need to show off his vocabulary. In just a few pages (194 to 196), Mr. McGuire uses "gallimaufry", "provender", and "gisants". I wish the editor had cut a few of these, because pondering their meanings slows down the reading.Overall, however, this is a well-written and exciting book set in a daunting environment. I recommend it.
    • 5/5
      Dialog of two reviews.
      Review #1 3 stars ***. Text of review:
      The 19th-century whaler's arctic trip with a killer-harpooner and a rogue surgeon on board. There are similarities with Sea-Wolf by Jack London in that evil is represented by a physically robust and immoral guy who acts on his wishes, including homosexual acts with minors. A surgeon who represents good is more thinking than acting. Actions happen on a whaler in Arctics. Philosophies are different. It is as though the author tried to present his version of Sea-Wolf of his own. I think that Sea-Wolf is better.
      Review #2 5 stars ***. Text of review:
      I respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer's assessment of MR. McGuire intent. His book is not a retelling of Sea-Wolf by Jack London, but a dialog with Jack London. He tells the story as it should be written. The Sea-Wolf is a romantic story in all its glory. A philosopher Captain with huge fists against a physically weak literary man. Within the book, they slowly exchange their roles. The weak one gains strength; the strong one becomes weak. Jack London writes a fairy tale. McGuire argues that the real story would be different. The strongman would be a rapist and the killer. Acting in the spur of the moment without moral obligations is evil. Strength hides in a good man like a spring. It will not grow from anything and won't be pleasant either. The author's position is that life is good, but it is not beautiful, smells bad, tastes strange, and is not romantic. Observing this hidden dialogue of two great writers is a pleasure and a reward for a lifetime of reading.
    • 5/5
      Set amid the nineteenth century world of whaling, and filled with foul deeds, graphic violence, and profanity, this literary historical thriller will not be to everyone’s taste; but I loved it. The two main characters are Henry Drax, a harpooner, who we discover right up front is a pedophile, rapist, and murderer; and Patrick Sumner, an opium addict with a spotty past in India, where he served as army surgeon in Delhi during the Sepoy Mutiny. These two men are thrown together on the whaling ship Volunteer, Captained by the ‘unlucky’ Brownlee, where Sumner hopes to hide out after being betrayed by the wealthy superior officer who ruined Sumner to save his own skin. Our first taste of the self-serving, moral bankruptcy that is a deep rotted seam running throughout this gritty narrative: men will do what they like, and what is best for themselves, not what is best for others.Sumner procures a supply of laudanum for himself as ship’s surgeon, and plans to ride out the whaling trip from the comfort of his cabin, reading and drawing, while quietly indulging in his vice. He has no notion of what he is in for. And even the prescient Otto’s warnings do little to prepare Sumner for the hardships ahead.Despite knowing who the murderer is from the outset, the fast-paced plot delivers up plenty of twists and surprises. It’s not who the villain is that keeps the pages turning in this harrowing story of survival—it’s knowing he’s there, and wondering what he will do next—as the crew battles polar bears, blizzards and starvation. While the author doesn’t pull any punches on describing what could have as easily been left undescribed, and perhaps even panders to our darker sides a bit, he is nonetheless an extremely talented writer, and descriptions of the Artic landscape, whaling, and the ‘Esquimaux’, are all well-researched and fascinating. Recommended for those who enjoy highly immersive literary historical thrillers.
    • 2/5
      I really have no idea why this book has received such praise. The writing style is good but the author goes overboard with crude language and graphic descriptions of hideous behavior. Murder, gore, rape and pedophilia - a laundry list of unpleasantness. These whalers also kill every animal in sight, not just whales. I'm not sure why I finished this book since it was really not to my taste. You need a stronger stomach than mine.
    • 4/5
      I couldn't wait to read The North Water after reading the synopsis, which made it sound like a superlatively disturbing thriller bordering on horror. I was lucky enough to receive an Advance Review Copy through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program, and my reading experience left me with the impression that the novel had only been slightly over-hyped. Despite my unrealistically high expectations, I found the book to be a uniquely compelling read, which kept my mind entirely absorbed from start to finish so that I finished it in one sitting.Author Ian McGuire distinguishes his story from the pack with distinctive stylistic choices as well as the inclusion of gruesome plot elements with the potential to shock and horrify the experienced thriller reader. I myself was not particularly shocked or horrified by these parts of the story. What kept me turning the pages was the sense of immediacy conveyed in the way the events were related. Two key features of McGuire's technique are his use of the present tense for exposition of the narrative and the inclusion of considerable dialogue. Although I would not call the effect cinematic, the novel would work well as a movie, I think.In any case, I highly recommend this novel to readers seeking a quality thrill. Page-turners of this caliber -- both in terms of style and content -- are few and far between in my experience. Thank you for reading my ideas; I hope they prove somehow useful to some of you.
    • 3/5
      This is most definitely not a novel for the squeamish. It is very brutal and the "C" word is used way to much. Patrick Sumner and Henry Drax have signed on to the Volunteer, a whaling ship heading out to the Arctic Circle. Both men hold secrets. The Volunteer is doomed from the start of the voyage and it certainly ends up that way. The characters are savages and so unlikeable. I am assuming that was the way of life on a whaling ship, but one must be strong of heart to read this. It is a good story and I found myself compelled to finish it even though I was taken aback by the brutality to humans and animals. I think this book would appeal to the male reader as all of the characters are men in tough situations. I don't think I would recommend this to anyone unless I was certain that their reading tastes could handle the descriptions.
    • 3/5
      Set on the whaling ship Volunteer, heading out to arctic waters, this is a classic story of good and evil that sets the kind doctor Patrick Sumner against murderous villain Henry Drax. While Sumner is a hero, of sorts, he is far from perfect. He is addicted to laudanum and has a checkered past that resulted in his release from the Army. We gradually learn his backstory.

      I found this book darkly riveting, and the writing is excellent, but I hesitate to recommend it to anyone, unless you have a very high tolerance for violence, brutality, animal slaughter, and gruesome content. There are places in it that are so gory I had to skim a few paragraphs. I just could not bear to read the details. The author creates a claustrophobic atmosphere, which I was able to vividly envision in my mind’s eye.

      I have an entire shelf in my list of books for adventures in the extreme cold, and it was available in from my local library, so I figured I would give it a try. I cannot say I “enjoyed” it, but I admire the author’s craftsmanship.

      3.5
    • 5/5
      What a book! The North Water surely packs a powerful punch. In this mixture between historical fiction and thriller, Irishman Patrick Sumner joins the crew of a whaling ship in the year 1859. After having been involved in a mission gone wrong in India, he has no other option but to become the crew's surgeon on a misconducted journey. It isn't long before things start to go terribly wrong...Brutal, gruesome and with vivid, accurate descriptions of life on a 19th century whaling ship – there are none of the romanticisms of other maritime fiction books there (no, it's no Treasure Island). Life at that time on a ship was one of hard labour, many perils and poor hygienic conditions. Yet there is beauty in the narrative, the story is powerful and stays with you for a long time.You're not likely to forget the antagonist Henry Drax, cunning Cavendish, philosophic Otto, Patrick Sumners account of the happenings during the siege of Delhi or his polar bear hunt any time soon, and you will not think of 19th century seafaring as romantic or desirable ever again.You are going to need strong nerves and a strong stomach for this read, there are tons of trigger warnings: foul language, physical and sexual violence through and through. If you cannot abide that, you'll do better to stay away.No, this book is not PC – simply because people weren't - at least not in Europe at that time. And yes, one might consider that as „problematic“, but I do believe strongly that stories should be told as they could have most likely happened. And in the 19th century, people on a dangerous mission such as whaling or as soldiers in the colonies were most likely as described: reckless, ruthless and deeply racist. There's no doubt about that. I only subtract a half or quarter star because the ending felt a bit rushed. It all played out a bit too quickly and smoothly, but it's a satisfying ending nevertheless. A near perfect read.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely brilliant writing and unapologetically violent. One of my best reads in recent years.
    • 4/5
      I gave it 4 stars because it is a good storyline. Very descriptive which does make it an easy read. Some of the boat terms I didn't follow. But it's also the most gruesome book I have ever read. Not something you want to read while your eating!
    • 4/5
      Brutal but engaging. This is like the movie "The Reverent" set in the Arctic. Patrick Sumner is a young surgeon with a bad reputation due to a terrible event not of his doing in India. He has no better option than take the job of surgeon on a whaling ship led by a captain whose reputation for bad luck is well known. Also on the ship is a heartless and cruel man named Henry Drax along with his co-conspirator, Cavendish.After a cabin boy is brutally molested and killed on the ship, things begin to really fall apart. Eventually the captain is killed and Cavendish takes charge. Whales are becoming scarce and the ship heads further into the north waters. When the reader thinks it can get no worse, it becomes even more complicated.The writing in this novel, although filled with brutal description, is so clear and the story pulls the reader in due to the realistically drawn characters, not only Sumners and Drax but Otto, a harpooner with a philosophy totally at odds with the cruel world. After the ship is destroyed, the men find themselves abandoned on an ice floe. Other characters appear: Eskimos, a priest, and bears (just like the Reverent - a recently killed bear becomes a warm refuge). A well-written story with interesting plot and believable although totally unlikeable characters. Would read more by this author.
    • 4/5
      I don't know what to say about this book. Long-listed for the 2016 Man Booker Prize, it's been on my TBR for months. I finally had a chance to read it. It's the story of a 19th-century Arctic whaling expedition. Aboard the Volunteer is Henry Drax, a harpooner and vicious serial killer, as well as Patrick Sumner, a penniless ex-army surgeon with a ruined reputation, who has no other choice than to sail as the ship's medic on this insane voyage.

      I can't think of a more powerful and compelling use of language and atmosphere than that written by this astonishing author. It's extremely graphic. The characters are some of the most realistically drawn I've ever known. Drax is a totally vicious man, without any redeeming qualities. Sumner, the disgraced surgeon, is more sympathetic. There are flashbacks of his time in the army during the Indian Rebellion where we learn how he ended up on the Volunteer. McGuire completely captures the feel of the period as well as the tension of a whaling ship with a killer on board.

      I cannot think of too many of my friends I could recommend read this brooding, dark and violent novel. Nevertheless I encourage everyone to read it. It's a short novel, under 300 pages, but it packs a punch. I found the violence, rape and animal abuse to be so difficult to read that I took off one star from my review. I still can't stop thinking about it. I don't know whether that's good or bad, but if Ian McGuire wanted to make readers react to his brilliant prose, he did that in a way that is quite incredible.
    • 4/5
      The North Water is a savage, harsh, gory, dark fiction story taking place mainly on a whaling vessel in the 19th century. Ever moving north in search of the dwindling whale population, the realities of life are hard enough for these men, never mind the serial killer/child molester hiding among them.

      I listened to this on audio and the narrator John Keating was most excellent. I would love to hear more of his work in the future.

      I enjoyed the hell out of this brutal story, but it's not for everyone. Be aware that Mr. McGuire takes an unflinching look at the whaling life- and it was very, very unpleasant for nearly every character in the book. If you're okay with that type of thing, then I highly recommend The North Water

      *I was able to listen to this one on audio thanks to my awesome public library. *
    • 4/5
      The story told in The North Water is nasty and vicious. Characters regularly embrace violence, and no-one around them is spared: not the animals, not the women or the children, certainly not their fellow men. There is a great deal of gore and hatred, in relatively few pages. So why write such a story? Why read it?While the story is often brutal, the storytelling is anything but. Several blurbs from my paperback edition invite comparison to Cormack McCarthy; one, to Homer's pairing of beautiful writing and bloody violence. TNW works as a bloody thrill ride, if that's what is meant by these comparisons. It doesn't seem to be primarily that, however. One clue is the setting: 1859 London, briefly, and an extended time aboard a whaler going into hunting grounds, with characters periodically observing how the trade is changing with commercial mechanization and whales hunted to extinction. Much is made of the changing times, and the social forces behind that change.Another clue is found in comparing the characters. McGuire carefully provides a group of interacting characters and just as carefully describes the myriad ways they differ from one another. Drax is characterised as an unreflective person, happily driven along his vicious trail by bodily urges and serendipity. Cavendish is slightly more deliberate if no less brutal, future gain (monetary and a sense of importance) sufficient to shape his present actions and plans. Sumner is a combination of the two, a mix of pensive reflection, almost to the point of inaction, though he is minded always by a past mistake (also involving bloody violence), the hovering question being whether that mistake is enough to change his future self. All of these people are self-centred, narrowly focused on personal gain or avoiding personal pain, and not at all averse to hurting others.Thinking on these things, and noting both circumstance and environment are harsh, a possible reading is that these characters merely reflect their situation. But that's not quite right. The environment is harsh but not cruel, and the worst that comes from nature seems to be a result of the men putting themselves into harm's way. For example, two Yak hunters are encountered, and in the brief time we read about them, they face no less harsh an environment than the whalers, but behave altogether differently. First, they are sensible in their efforts to live in their environment, and second, they are motivated not only by personal gain but mutual endeavour. It's significant that McGuire pointedly mentions that the whalers notice yet do not make use of the better adaptation to Arctic life exampled by the Yak.Perhaps the answer to the question of why write, and why read this story, is simple. It's a ready reminder not to suffer more than necessary, and one of the best ways to accomplish this --perhaps the best -- is not to make others suffer, indeed to lessen as much suffering as you can. Fit into one's environment, band together with those of like minds, and then acknowledge that success isn't merely the improved conditions one enjoys, but the social connections made along the way, the community which is built alongside. The characters in TNW seem entirely ignorant of all of this, if not rejecting it outright, and their willful defiance lies at the root of their brutality. The North Water is worth reading because McGuire has the sense to avoid telling the reader any of this, and simply show it.//A subtle book design: the cover's left-pointing ("backward") arrow is repeated throughout the text as a section break.There are no maps, and none are needed. Accustomed to the Folio Society's Aubrey-Maturin texts, though, I admit to missing one despite never taking time to look up the relevant whaling waters for orientation.
    • 4/5
      I've had this on my TBR list for quiet some time. Somehow it kept getting pushed back but it finally managed to make enough noise to get my attention...and I'm mostly glad that it did. I found that it was a riveting read while also being darkly brilliant. The ship has a crew that should have screamed TROUBLE to anyone with half a mind. Especially the Irish surgeon, addicted to opium that no one else would hire...and the most vicious and unpleasant of them all, Henry Drax. A man who has raped and killed a young boy just before signing on. With this motley crew, the ship set out to sail into the endless violence that persists throughout the story. We soon learn that bringing back seal skins is the last thing on this crews mind. Good adventure story with dramatic clashes between darkness and light and good and evil.
    • 3/5
      An unremittingly brutal novel, pervaded by doom. I found it compelling. The protagonist is an opium-addled Irish surgeon (nod to Stephen Maturin), disgraced and disfigured by his less-than-creditable service in the suppression of the Sepoy Mutiny, who ships on a doomed whaler bound for Greenland in the final days of the whaling trade. The villain, a harpooner, is a force of nature. The main villain, of course, is nature. There is casual murder, premeditated murder, rape, theft, robbery, maulings, privation, shipwreck, disease, insurance fraud, and all manner of brutality to men, boys, and beasts. All good fun.Colm Toibin: “‘The North Water’ feels like the result of an encounter between Joseph Conrad and Cormac McCarthy in some run-down port as they offer each other a long, sour nod of recognition.” I do think that this is easier to stomach than McCarthy.
    • 4/5
      In looking for something different and a little outside our comfort zone, this month’s read has stretched the limits for all of us. The North Water is without a doubt a confrontational read. It drags you into a world that you would never want to enter (given the choice), yet as readers we willing take the journey and the suffering, along with the characters.Most of our members agreed on these observations; intriguing, dark, graphic, well-written, provocative and challenging. There are no redeeming characters, the cruelty and greed is overwhelming, and the extreme violence devastating. Yet, the majority of us could not put this book down. Some found the more violently graphic parts needed to be quickly read over or skipped altogether, but overall they found themselves totally engrossed within the story. The hostile environment certainly contributed to the drama, along with the human and natural conflicts. Most of us will never experience such isolation and danger, yet McGuire does an admirable job of making you wonder exactly how you would survive such an ordeal.Is it possible to enjoy a book with such bleak and sinister content? We had a good discussion on just what makes a book ‘enjoyable’, and what do we look for in a good read. Does every character and every plot have to conform to our amiable senses? When talking literature, we decided that well-written, thought out storylines and realistic language and characters far more important than ‘keeping things affable’. The real question is … how far are you willing to travelling outside our own comfort zone for a good read?
    • 3/5
      If it accomplishes anything, it paints a gruesome picture of a certain segment of society at the tail end of the whaling boom. The writing is artful in it's brutality but it's challenging to find a purpose for that brutality. It feels a bit like an action movie with little to say about the true motivations of man.
    • 4/5
      This is a brutal book, on all levels. Obviously it's brutal in the action (e.g., people's heads being sawn off), and in the plot (insurance fraud and shipwrecks in the frigid north). The language and metaphors are often brutal, though often too elaborate and beautiful. The characters are brutal, as are the themes and symbolism. To some extent, this last part made the book less interesting—the book should be harsh to read, not brutally obvious. It feels too easy, which contradicts the thematic brutality. I guess McGuire felt the need to keep it straight and honest, which I can respect.
    • 5/5
      A vicious book in the very best sense of the term. Set aboard a British whaling ship in the middle of the 19th century, on the cusp of the whaling industry’s demise, McGuire’s naturalistic tale of greed, exploitation, immorality, lust, murder, and filth reaches operatic levels of ruthlessness and vice. His unsparingly precise and explicit prose uncovers the basest elements of humanity—whether he’s describing the pungent aroma of vomit or the steaming entrails of a disemboweled bear—as he reveals the violence and barbarity inherent in his characters.And what characters they are. No one in this story is without a secret, yet some characters are far baser than others. Everyone from Baxter—the owner of the whaling vessel the Volunteer, to Henry Drax, a harpooner and perhaps one of the most irredeemable and horrifically immoral creatures to populate the pages of recent fiction—has something to hide. Even Sumner, the ship’s surgeon and the closest thing to a moral compass on board, has a questionable past, and his reasons for signing on to the voyage are rather suspect as well. Amid the rape, violence, animal slaughter, murder, and merciless climate of the north seas, the tale boils down to a Darwinian struggle between Sumner and Drax. McGuire’s ability to sustain suspense and provoke awe throughout the novel is remarkable.Few works of fiction produce an actual heart-pounding response. This novel had that effect on me. A brutal and breathless work of literature.
    • 4/5
      WOW, what a story. It's like a punch in the solar plexus.

      The North Water follows Irish surgeon Patrick Sumner on board an ill-fated whaler outfitted with murderers and corruptibles in 1857. Sumner himself has a tormented past and is using The Voyager to flee from his sins. Little does he know that worse things are aboard the ship than he could have ever faced on land. When all other whalers are heading south to chase their quarry, The Voyager heads farther north, into pack ice and madness.

      There are no bonny, sea-weathered blokes having a gam in this book. This story is all murderous plotting and barbarism. Based on the true accounts I've read from actual whalers, McGuire's fiction isn't far off the mark.

      At less than 300 pages, The North Water is a quick read, but the pacing is, at times, too inconsistent. In some parts I was just starting to feel the desperation, the isolation, the grueling, unfathomable cold, and McGuire moved on. I wanted more story with Sumner's bear hunt and more time with the Yaks, but I was also content that McGuire didn't linger too long. I'm not one to advocate filler, so I appreciate that McGuire kept the story moving. The descriptions of the grime, the tortuous ship, the starvation and deprivation are impressive. The environment on The Voyager is all viscera, excreta, and blood. This may sound gruesome, but it couldn't have been better. His word choice is enviable. I found myself highlighting single words in order to later applaud their specificity. I think my vocabulary increased seven-fold.

      The North Water is gory, bloody, corporeal. If you're at all squeamish, as in "can't handle Tarantino films," then this is not for you. Unlike some readers, I didn't find the brutality and violence overbearing at all. This book requires it, or it wouldn't work. A story set in the 19th century about a psychologically-tormented, drug-addicted surgeon aboard a cursed ship full of pedophillic murders and mutinous traitors isn't going to be full of cupcakes and rainbows. I for, one, enjoyed it enormously. If you have the stomach for it, dive in. You won't regret it.

      Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for this advance copy. This review is also posted on flyleafunfurled.com
    • 5/5
      The North Water by Ian McGuire with it’s vivid descriptions, foul smells and dangerous situations is one of the most visceral novels I have read. The story includes episodes of rape, animal cruelty and murder, all revealed with an excess of gore and violence and elevated by the author’s excellent writing and character development. I loved this unflinching tale of men at their basest level.Set on a nineteenth century whaling ship, the story is full of violence and brutality so I would warn many away from this book, but for me it was a fast moving, dark adventure story that totally gripped me. I was absorbed by the harsh writing, the exposed evil, and the damaged characters. The atmospheric frigid Arctic winter made an excellent backdrop to this Victorian tale of doom, gloom and gore.The North Water is an unsparing look at men as they battle both the elements and each other and if you can handle a dark tale full of carnage and bloodshed then I would recommend this book as an excellent read.
    • 3/5
      Ian McGuire is a novelist in the same way that David Benioff is a novelist: they write books that can easily be turned into movies. McGuire has a bigger vocabulary, and literary ambitions, but really there is nothing to this book. Sure, it's well written (mostly), but not one of the characters has any pull on the reader, and if there are any actual ideas in the book, they escape me. It's a page turner, a high quality page turner, but not a book to remember. The end piece of the book consists of a brief interview with the author, in which he drops names and tries to beef up his reputation. Also included are some Reading Group Questions, which again seek to bolster the author's bona fides by asking whether the author is more like Conrad, Melville, or Dickens .. please .. none of the above. But he does owe a real debt to Carol Birch, whose "Jamrach's Menagerie" far exceeds the work of McGuire, and seems to contain most of the same ingredients, done up in a true literary fashion .. you know, the kind where you actually care about the characters and keep thinking about them long after you have finished reading.
    • 5/5
      This was excellent reading. The story was great, and the dark, brooding, foreboding narrative kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat throughout. Mcguire's prose is thick, descriptive and raw and the atmosphere created is not like anything I have seen in a while. This is historical fiction, but many of the common tactics to set up the period and place are not employed. Mr. Mcguire simply drops the reader into time and place.

      This is a quick read that I can recommend. If you like historical fiction with a very dark bent, you won't go wrong here. This isn't your typical fare.
    • 4/5
      Good book that takes large jumps in the plot very quickly which can be confusing, but gets the book moving. Took a while for me to figure out who the author wanted the reader to focus on in this book as being the central character. Contains some dark, twisted story telling that highlights how depraved man can be.