Author: Jess Kidd
This historical book was based on a shipwreck true story.
Batavia ([baˈtaːvia] (listen)) was a ship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Built in Amsterdam in 1628 as the company's new flagship, she sailed that year on her maiden voyage for Batavia, capital of the Dutch East Indies. On 4 June 1629, Batavia was wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos, a chain of small islands off the western coast of Australia.
As the ship broke apart, approximately 300 of the Batavia's 341 passengers made their way ashore, the rest drowning in their attempts. The ship's commander, Francisco Pelsaert, sailed to Batavia to get help, leaving in charge Jeronimus Cornelisz, a senior VOC official who, unbeknownst to Pelsaert, had been plotting a mutiny prior to the wreck. Cornelisz sent about 20 men under soldier Wiebbe Hayes to nearby islands under the pretense of having them search for fresh water, abandoning them there to die. With the help of other mutineers, he then orchestrated a massacre that, over the course of several weeks, resulted in the murder of approximately 125 of the remaining survivors, including women, children and infants; a small number of women were kept as sex slaves, among them Lucretia Jans, who was reserved by Cornelisz for himself.
Book Description (from book cover): 1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia, one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks.
1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck…
It is a very depressing story. But it was fascinating at the same time. First off, it gives you a bit of history that is not general knowledge. It's so refreshing to find a historical fiction story not based in WWII. That alone is a point in its favor.
It's a slow pace, we know the ship is going to wreck from the start as we are following Gil and he finds out about the shipwreck as soon as he arrives on the island. He is surrounded by several mysteries:
His mother's death. What happened to her? What was his involvement in it?
He also does not open up about how that has affected him.
Who is Gil's father? Is he relevant to the story?
His grandfather is the island's pariah, everyone seems to hate him and avoid him like the plague. We do not know why.
He is a young kid who has a difficult childhood. After his mother's death, he moves in with his grandfather, a man they were not close to while his mother was alive. The life completely changed is bad enough, then we add the fact he is struggling with his identity. The reveal comes with very little support from the adults in his life be it present or past. Another point in favor is that his identity struggles are not the only struggle and he is explored as a round character - he is not only his preference. And spoiler alert: His grandfather is growing towards acceptance, he never apologizes but he makes an effort to show he's ok with him dressing as he wishes. Gil receives his grandmother's pin back.
On the other hand, we follow Mayken, a typical rich girl down to the nanny that has raised her instead of her parents. She boards the ship, not overly thrilled by the trip. She is after all on her way to join her father, a man she hardly knows, and leaving the place she has lived all her short life. She has an overly active imagination; and dare I say it? There is something of a psychic, she has some hidden abilities, and her nurse Imke is able to see the promise in her young charge. Soon Imke falls ill and no one is able to help. Mayken is convinced there is a monster that is trapped in the ship and is causing havoc. She gets into several adventures trying to locate the monster, her antics endear her to the lower-class passengers as she hides amongst them during her search.
Once the shipwreck part arrives you already love Mayken and her experiences are a pain to read. Her way of overcoming is focusing on the monster that is guilty of the illness and misfortune that has befallen the ship passengers. You know she has a sad ending- but the way it develops brings a few tears to your eyes.
I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to fans of historical fiction that are looking for something not set in WWII. The storyline in the past was my favorite but the "present" was not bad so it was very good overall.
Thanks to this book I am looking into a bit more information on the shipwreck. The reports we have available are not any more hopeful than we get here.
This book was used for several challenges:
Read around the world, the author is from London.
A to Z title and authors
Rapid reader's annual readathon 2023 Prompt #50. Mentions historical events
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