The North Water

The North Water is a 2016 novel by English author and academic Ian McGuire. McGuire's focus of study and field of interest is American realist literature which is defined as, "...the faithful representation of reality". The Guardian reviewer writes, "The strength of The North Water lies in its well-researched detail and persuasive descriptions of the cold, violence, cruelty and the raw, bloody business of whale-killing." The headline of the Independent Book Review "Ian McGuire, The North Water: 'Subtle as a harpoon in the head, but totally gripping', book review" reinforces the realist aspect of the writing. The North Water was published by Henry Holt and Company (USA) and Simon & Schuster (UK)/Scribner (UK). Plot The north water of the title is the North Water Polynya, to which ships sail in the hunt and kill whales. The novel opens in Hull where the industry is under threat with paraffin and coal oil replacing whale oil. We meet Henry Drax a harpooner who rapes and kills a child, "... a brute, a vacuum into which men and boys are sucked and do not emerge alive". Joining as ships doctor is Irishman Patrick Sumner a disgraced former British army surgeon with a murky past in India. They set sail on the Volunteer under Captain Brownlee who lost his last ship and crew; in league with the owner Baxter, he intends to scuttle the Volunteer in an insurance scam. Awards and honours 2016 Man Booker Prize, longlisted. 2016 New York Times 10 Best Books of 2016 2016 Shortlisted Los Angeles Times Book Prize Mystery/Thriller 2016 On the Chicago Tribune list of Best Books of the Year 2017 Royal Society of Literature Encore Award Television adaptation