CASTAWAY ON THE ISLE OF DEVILS

Sixteen-year-old Alice Drinkard finally gets to share an adventure with her father. They’re leaving their London home for the New World, where his new business opportunity awaits. Alice is angry that her mother is joining them, as she’d tried marrying her daughter off to an older man despite Alice being smitten with someone else. There’s hostility between the two during the lengthy journey aboard the Sea Venture, but a hurricane changes everything. The vessel takes so much damage that the passengers are forced to abandon ship and take refuge on an uninhabited land called the Isle of Devils. There, the mostly male survivors argue over who’s in charge (a governor-to-be or the Sea Venture’s admiral?). This incites bad blood, violence, and even murder. “Land-lubbers” like Alice were happy to find land and not die somewhere in the ocean, but as men mutiny and advocate capital punishment, it’s clear that the battle to stay alive is far from over. Carson-Williams layers this taut, sharply written narrative with engaging conflicts and unrelenting tension. Alice, in addition to clashing with her mother (or “Her Highness,” as she scornfully calls her), gleans a dark family secret while onboard. At the same time, everyone seems to be at each other’s throats, both on the ship and on the island; even the manner of potential escape is a source of contention. Alice is a levelheaded, resourceful protagonist who devises a way to stop leaks (during an unabating hurricane) and catches on to one person’s sketchiness much sooner than anyone else. The author, who based this story on the real-life Sea Venture shipwreck, deftly weaves in historical tidbits—most notably regarding William Shakespeare, whose The Tempest was reputedly inspired by the fate of the Sea Venture.

May 16, 2025 - 20:32

Sixteen-year-old Alice Drinkard finally gets to share an adventure with her father. They’re leaving their London home for the New World, where his new business opportunity awaits. Alice is angry that her mother is joining them, as she’d tried marrying her daughter off to an older man despite Alice being smitten with someone else. There’s hostility between the two during the lengthy journey aboard the Sea Venture, but a hurricane changes everything. The vessel takes so much damage that the passengers are forced to abandon ship and take refuge on an uninhabited land called the Isle of Devils. There, the mostly male survivors argue over who’s in charge (a governor-to-be or the Sea Venture’s admiral?). This incites bad blood, violence, and even murder. “Land-lubbers” like Alice were happy to find land and not die somewhere in the ocean, but as men mutiny and advocate capital punishment, it’s clear that the battle to stay alive is far from over. Carson-Williams layers this taut, sharply written narrative with engaging conflicts and unrelenting tension. Alice, in addition to clashing with her mother (or “Her Highness,” as she scornfully calls her), gleans a dark family secret while onboard. At the same time, everyone seems to be at each other’s throats, both on the ship and on the island; even the manner of potential escape is a source of contention. Alice is a levelheaded, resourceful protagonist who devises a way to stop leaks (during an unabating hurricane) and catches on to one person’s sketchiness much sooner than anyone else. The author, who based this story on the real-life Sea Venture shipwreck, deftly weaves in historical tidbits—most notably regarding William Shakespeare, whose The Tempest was reputedly inspired by the fate of the Sea Venture.