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Dog Watches: Stories from the Sea
At sea, the four-hour watch at the end of the work day is cut in half to make two dog watches. Drawn from thirty-five years in the Navy, in a career ranging from from seaman to captain, Rolf Yngve's Dog Watches brings to life the men and women who stand the dog watches, the moments when their decisions define them and shape the lives of those in their care. A former commanding officer finds himself powerless when he confronts young woman about to leap from a bridge. A captain blames his second in command for the crazy decision he makes that ends his career. A heroic young woman discovers the deep tragedy of trafficking. An officer pursuing his duty makes a fatal error that defines his entire life. The inventory of dead sailor's locker haunts a young officer's first hours on board and the life of his ship. The illicit affection between a beloved captain and a shipmate is discovered after a near tragedy. Praised by Tim O'Brien, David Kranes, and Goldie Goldbloom, widely published and anthologized, Yngve's work has been compared to Conrad. Compelling reading and a powerful exploration of the meaning of integrity, duty and personal responsibility in 21st century America.
202 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 15, 2018
In Rolf Yngve’s short story collection, ‘Dog Watches’, the Sea is the antagonist that rocks and rolls otherwise ordinary men and women into incredibly tumultuous and unordinary circumstances.
The first story, ‘A Prerogative’, and how it ties to to the last, ‘Pointed Fair’, made me gasp, slam the book shut, and throw it across the room. It’s just that good.
In ‘Efendim’, we’re on the edge of our seats watching the delicate back and forth not just between the American negotiator and Somali teenaged pirate, but between the negotiator and the Turkish interpreter. Here’s an excerpt:
“He would carry a rosary in his pocket ever after, track it with his fingers, just as the interpreter touches beads he keeps in his pocket to praise Allah, and the negotiator rubs a pink cancer bracelet to let the memory of his wife calm him. Just as the as the chief engineer in the white interior of the orange lifeboat twists his wedding ring to think of his children, their pictures long away on the ship that had left him and just as Amir tickles the safety of his derelict gun on and off, watching.”
Many of the characters appearing throughout are female Navy officers and enlisted, and they’re treated respectfully, sometimes tenderly, but with brutally harsh reality.
In ‘The Hour of Letdown’, the Executive Commander (XO), is a strong woman who guides the ship away from disaster, and safely gets the helicopter back on board. The captain commends her “Great job, XO. Great. You saved our asses today, Jennifer.” Then, like her, I felt the harsh punch in the gut as she overhears another officer’s words behind her back, “Well, at least the Toad didn’t try to bitch me out. I’da had to kiss her and turn her into a prince”, and the junior officers squealed and giggled.”
Yes, no matter how competent, skillful and talented a woman may be, an off-hand comment from a man about her looks is enough to cut her off at the knees. And a beautiful woman knows just a light touch with a fingertip can make a man weak in the knees. That’s just the way it goes. And it will never change.
Throughout the book, Rolf does this magical thing where the story is told in 3rd person, but a 1st person narrator steps in and it works perfectly. When he does that, it’s a reassurance that we’re not in this alone-that there’s a higher hand guiding us.
Much of the book reminds me of the tightrope we walk while navigating our relationships, whether in the workplace with superiors or subordinates, in the military or in our family. For me, I relate to this tightrope theme as a mother, and the torture I feel before I say something to my teenager who screams back at me, or to the other one who nods, but never really answers.
More often than not, it’s not the right thing to say. But that’s life, imperfect. We’re imperfect, and Rolf reassures us it’s okay to be so.
The cover image was developed from an official photograph of a US Navy destroyer retrieving a lifeboat after a hostage rescue. The original is a U.S Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Megan E. Sindelar, USMC, released and distributed by the US Navy Visual News Service.
The first story, ‘A Prerogative’, and how it ties to to the last, ‘Pointed Fair’, made me gasp, slam the book shut, and throw it across the room. It’s just that good.
In ‘Efendim’, we’re on the edge of our seats watching the delicate back and forth not just between the American negotiator and Somali teenaged pirate, but between the negotiator and the Turkish interpreter. Here’s an excerpt:
“He would carry a rosary in his pocket ever after, track it with his fingers, just as the interpreter touches beads he keeps in his pocket to praise Allah, and the negotiator rubs a pink cancer bracelet to let the memory of his wife calm him. Just as the as the chief engineer in the white interior of the orange lifeboat twists his wedding ring to think of his children, their pictures long away on the ship that had left him and just as Amir tickles the safety of his derelict gun on and off, watching.”
Many of the characters appearing throughout are female Navy officers and enlisted, and they’re treated respectfully, sometimes tenderly, but with brutally harsh reality.
In ‘The Hour of Letdown’, the Executive Commander (XO), is a strong woman who guides the ship away from disaster, and safely gets the helicopter back on board. The captain commends her “Great job, XO. Great. You saved our asses today, Jennifer.” Then, like her, I felt the harsh punch in the gut as she overhears another officer’s words behind her back, “Well, at least the Toad didn’t try to bitch me out. I’da had to kiss her and turn her into a prince”, and the junior officers squealed and giggled.”
Yes, no matter how competent, skillful and talented a woman may be, an off-hand comment from a man about her looks is enough to cut her off at the knees. And a beautiful woman knows just a light touch with a fingertip can make a man weak in the knees. That’s just the way it goes. And it will never change.
Throughout the book, Rolf does this magical thing where the story is told in 3rd person, but a 1st person narrator steps in and it works perfectly. When he does that, it’s a reassurance that we’re not in this alone-that there’s a higher hand guiding us.
Much of the book reminds me of the tightrope we walk while navigating our relationships, whether in the workplace with superiors or subordinates, in the military or in our family. For me, I relate to this tightrope theme as a mother, and the torture I feel before I say something to my teenager who screams back at me, or to the other one who nods, but never really answers.
More often than not, it’s not the right thing to say. But that’s life, imperfect. We’re imperfect, and Rolf reassures us it’s okay to be so.
The cover image was developed from an official photograph of a US Navy destroyer retrieving a lifeboat after a hostage rescue. The original is a U.S Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Megan E. Sindelar, USMC, released and distributed by the US Navy Visual News Service.
December 19, 2018
I loved Dog Watches--there is something about the title alone that draws you in, even though I wasn't familiar with the term at first.
I was engaged all the way through, and the prose sentence by sentence was so beautiful and satisfying. The book is also a master class in how to do thematically linked stories--though they are all about the Navy, they are also about the characters at hand. Each adds to the whole, but can also stand on its own.
I was engaged all the way through, and the prose sentence by sentence was so beautiful and satisfying. The book is also a master class in how to do thematically linked stories--though they are all about the Navy, they are also about the characters at hand. Each adds to the whole, but can also stand on its own.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews