New Summer Reads about the Glories of the Open Sea

The Blue, by Lucy Clarke
Two young women from Britain flee sheltered, run-of-the-mill upbringings for an exotic beach vacation in the Philippines. A chance meeting on the street involving a cockerel leads to an invitation to join other millennials on a voyage aboard The Blue. Mirroring the patterns of the sea—blissful, calm, and sunny at first, followed by storm systems and arguments later in the voyage—the book’s twisty plot will keep you engrossed. With an eye on how an extreme trip can take a toll on group dynamics, it ultimately recalls William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and Alex Garland’s The Beach by Alex Garland. Not just a story about adventure, the book pulls in threads of family deception, budding romance, grief and loss, and running away. You won’t want to put it down.

Hover: A Novel, by Anne A. Wilson
Recent U.S. Navy Academy grad Lt. Sara Denning, grieving the death of her brother, gets more than she asked for when she’s put on a ship as a helicopter pilot. Romancing a lieutenant, enduring a sexist boss, and being one of only two women on the ship are daily challenges, but they serve only as the backdrop to a dangerous Navy SEAL mission. Because this is written by an actual academy grad who flew on Navy SEAL missions while a helicopter pilot, what you get is an authentic peek at a woman’s life in the military. The story is sweet and suspenseful at the same time.

The French Prize: A Novel, by James Nelson
In this compelling father-son story set on Abigail, a ship traveling from conservative Philadelphia to wild Barbados, Jack Biddlecomb and Captain Isaac Biddlecomb, along with two passengers, embark on an historical voyage that is anything but smooth. Expect an action-driven plot that keeps even the reader guessing as it becomes clear Jack is woven into the wet, stormy mess that challenges his feelings about, and readiness for, war on the waves.

Imperium: A Fiction of the South Seas, by Christian Kracht
Taking place in the early 1900s, this translated work of satire, which was originally published in 2012 in German, dips into and curls around the notion of island living. Think nudist colonies, cultlike ideas of religion, and a 100% coconut diet. Art imitates life: the story is actually inspired by a German man, August Engelhardt, who survived an 18-year-long diet of only coconuts in Papua New Guinea. Characters who cross August’s path include a musician, a villain, and a sailor, as well as Australians and American troops at war, all lending theories about his state of mind.
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