"With each passing sunset, our hope grows depleted, and we no longer feel like passengers of anything. We are souls adrift."
synopsis
On the final night of its voyage the Galaxy sinks within minutes of sending out a distress signal. No survivors are found. One year later an empty life raft washes up on the shore of Montserrat, some two thousand nautical miles from where the Galaxy disappeared. When Inspector Jarty LeFleur discovers a journal he breaks protocol and hides it within the confines of his coat. LeFleur is greatly intrigued by this journal especially he reads that one of the passengers claims to be the Lord. In a journey through time, LeFleur learns details of the yacht sinking and the fate of the survivors.
thoughts and feelings
To be honest it has been a while since I last read something that didn't fall under the umbrellas of "fairytale remake" or "romance novel." However, when I saw Mitch Albom had a new book releasing I knew I had to read it.
The Stranger in the Lifeboat is an intriguing story of nine people who survive a yacht sinking. Half of the survivors are very prestigious the others were workers aboard the ship. The last young man pulled from the ocean states that he is the Lord and can only save the others when all believe that he is who he says he is. The immediate reactions of the others is very interesting and similar to how I feel people would really react. Some immediately believe, some want to believe, some are skeptical, and some completely shut out the idea that the Lord would really appear in the middle of the ocean. Throughout the story we get to see the internal struggle of Benji, writer of the journal. I loved seeing the progression of the characters through this story and their internal battle with trying to determine if this man really is the Lord.
This story also seemed a little familiar and felt very similar to The Life of Pi. To read something of a similar story line was a bit strange and threw me off at first. The Stranger in the Lifeboat is almost like the "what really happened" story of The Life of Pi. Although similar, I was captivated by The Stranger in the Lifeboat and read most of it in one sitting. Knowing that the lifeboat is discovered empty was a huge pulling factor for me. I had to know the fates of each of the characters and if there really were no survivors.
book tags
Steam Level: clean
Language: clean
Trigger Warnings: death, violence, talk of religious beliefs
book information
Title: The Stranger in the Lifeboat
Series: none
Author: Mitch Albom
Rating: 4/5 stars
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