Thomas Jr. answers “Has anyone else here read this book? I...”

Regena asked this question about Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer:

Has anyone else here read this book? I really loved so much about it! It touches on so many interesting topics from the era in which it was written: development of various religions in the Americas, whaling, lighthouses, women passing as men in order to experience that world they otherwise could not, cannibalism under duress, oh my! What aspects of the book did you particularly enjoy? Regena

Thomas Jr. "Moby Dick" has been one of my favorite books for years and years, and when I first learned that there was a novel coming out with the title "Ahab's W…more"Moby Dick" has been one of my favorite books for years and years, and when I first learned that there was a novel coming out with the title "Ahab's Wife," I thought the whole idea was absurd. Ahab is such a chillingly majestic figure that I couldn't imagine him in any social arrangement as intimate and personal as marriage. I simply couldn't imagine his finding a woman who could command his notice, respect, or interest any more than I could imagine him in a relationship of convention or convenience with a "normal" woman. It was like imagining a spouse for Beowulf, or Gandalph, or Darth Vader. As a result, Naslund's managing to invent such a woman struck me as little short of miraculous. That's what I enjoyed most-- the brilliance of inventing a plausible character who filled that impossible bill. (To be honest, it's really fun that her bold heroine is a cross-dresser, a lot like Shakespeare's strongest women!) I also loved her seamless incorporation of the history of the whale ship Essex.(less)

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