The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger (non-fiction)
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Iâve seen the movie â twice, so Iâm not sure why the book is so engaging. Of course the movie was based on the book, so that came first, but somehow reading Mr Junger still manages to captivate, despite the fact that we all know the ending. Perhaps itâs in how he imbues the real life characters with personality, in how he describes everyoneâs backgrounds and foibles, rendering them with a clear, yet compassionate humanity.
What draws me in is the way he manages to bring across the vast and unpredictable power of the ocean. In the telling, in a far less dry manner than strictly scientific journals might, he explains how massive waves are built â how people have had encounters with monstrous sea systems and lived to tell the tale, all of which lends credence to how those early sailors might actually be forgiven for thinking the earth to be flat; there are accounts of ships simply ârunning out of seaâ. It just disappears and the vessel falls off what would, in those days, have appeared to be the edge of the world.
He also tells the tales of fishing and of men, and of the lives they lead â their priorities. How sword fishermen, particularly, in this instance, are subject to all kinds of vagaries and mishaps, how they absolutely depend on a good haul, and how sometimes safety factors might be sacrificed for that reason â albeit with everyoneâs tacit consent. Itâs an intense means of earning money â super hard work jam-packed into a month at sea, maybe, with a (relatively speaking) big fat reward at the end of it. A couple of weeks break, and then back you go â out into the deep â six men and a dinky little 72ft vessel â all at sea!
Iâm astonished that anyone braves the wide oceans at all, and that so many survive. Even massive tankers can buckle under the pressure of the mighty heft of the water! Inch thick steel can twist and bend as easily as Uri Gellarâs spoons. When winds build unfettered (and thereâs no forecasting when that might be), waves follow suit. Weâre talking +100ft waves here â sheer walls of water that are impossible to imagine, to visualise.
The conditions that created this âperfect stormâ though, are unusual, and through time, have been witnessed by very few. IMHO, this is non-fiction at its finest - informative, descriptive and sympathetic, and a fitting tribute to the men who lost their lives in that ill-fated encounter with the elements. Good writing is always paramount and there is much skill in recounting such true stories in a way that grips the reader.
I highly recommend.
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