We, the Drowned in Around the World in 80 Books

Apr 15, 2020 Tony rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: translated-fiction, project-fit, setting-europe, war-ww2, war-ww1, novels, historical-fiction, onthewater, comingofage

Almost 700 pages translated from Danish is unlikely to sound appetizing to most readers, and while I was attracted by the premise of a century-worth of seafaring adventures, it took me almost a decade to finally pick this up and read it. The story revolves around the small Danish port of Marstal, from about 1848 to 1945, and is broken into four sections following three generations.

The first part (roughly 200 pages) kicks off with the Danish-German War of 1848 (better known as the "Three Years W Almost 700 pages translated from Danish is unlikely to sound appetizing to most readers, and while I was attracted by the premise of a century-worth of seafaring adventures, it took me almost a decade to finally pick this up and read it. The story revolves around the small Danish port of Marstal, from about 1848 to 1945, and is broken into four sections following three generations.

The first part (roughly 200 pages) kicks off with the Danish-German War of 1848 (better known as the "Three Years War" in Denmark, and the "First Schleswig War" in Germany), which I had never heard of before. It mostly follows the life of sailor Laurids Madsen, and his son Albert's search for him across the Pacific, in which various adventures are had -- such as the acquisition of a shrunken head. This section also sets shows daily life in the town, including the epic cruelty of the schoolmaster. Boys become sailors at 14, and discover another level of arbitrary cruelty and violence in their apprenticeship.It's a town where men are rarely home, and generally die in some calamity at sea.

The second section (a shade under 200 pages) picks up Albert's story later in life, around the turn of the century, as he's "come ashore" at age fifty to become a wealthy shipowner and broker. Marstal is inching toward modernity and Albert takes an active hand in trying to make sure it's ready to meet the modern age and doesn't get left behind. He also gets involved with a widower and takes her young boy, Knud Erik, under his tutelage. There's an an element that doesn't really mesh with the rest of the book, in that Albert has nightmares and visions that prophecy the deaths at sea of men of the town. This supernatural piece is the one aspect of the book I didn't care for, even as it is used to foreshadow the advent of WWI.

The final two sections (totaling just under 300 pages) follow Knud Erik as he defies his now-wealthy mother and becomes a sailor. He has his own adventures as the days of sail give way to the era of steam and coal, and the world continues to change. The final section takes place during World War II, as he is now a Captain of a merchant vessel for the Allies. It's probably the most cohesive, and thus gripping, portion of the book and ends things on a high note.

The entire book is the rare story that manages to be both sweeping and epic while remaining intimate across a century and three generations. Each era comes to life with specific vivid details, and within the grand arcs are dozens of smaller stories -- some highly nautical, some intensely domestic. It's a rewarding read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, although I would recommend that one keeps a running list and diagram of the characters and their relationships, as that was hard for me to track over the seven weeks I read this. ...more

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