The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Reviews
This was on the recommended shelf at my favorite local bookstore, and it was a nice read. Probably more of a library read than one that I recommend buying, but definitely worth reading.
We start out at Grace’s trial. We don’t know exactly what she is on trial for, but this tells us that she has clearly survived being on the titular lifeboat. We immediately jump back to when she and 39 others from the Empress Queen ship find themselves in a lifeboat just over a year after the Titanic sinks. Mostly women, but a few men and one child, this group is stuck together until that rescue ship comes along.
It’s coming, right?
Right?
The book is interesting because it tells the story from a narrator who can’t possibly know everything, and it touches on very interesting philosophical questions. Basically, it’s like one big thought experiment. There is a lot going on for a bunch of people stuck on a small lifeboat, but at the same time we don’t get resolution to everything. I can’t figure out if this is brilliant storytelling (because do we every really know the full truth?) or lazy storytelling (because the author created this world, she can tell us the full truth if she wants). I devoured the first half, then somehow was distracted, but finished in on a flight maybe two weeks later. I think it’s worth a read if you come across it, but it isn’t a must read.
