Jess Kidd

Based on a true story, an epic historical novel from the award-winning author of Things in Jars that illuminates the lives of two characters: a girl shipwrecked on an island off Western Australia and, three hundred years later, a boy finding a home with his grandfather on the very same island.

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…

The Night Ship

elizabeth

I was charmed and heartbroken by both Mayken and Gil. At times their stories were clear parallels, and at others, the relationship between their stories was looser. But throughout, Kidd masterfully writes two narratives that complement one another and deliver a double gut punch (although I did find it difficult to sort through the dense casts of characters that inhabited each timeline). I especially enjoyed reading something that took the imagination of children so seriously, especially as their imaginations have tangible reverberations in their lives. 

I was equally enthralled (though less charmed) by the settings of each timeline: a ship and a small coral island that’s home to a small finishing community. Kidd brings these settings to life—not in the sense that she makes them feel vibrant or saturated, but in the sense that she makes them real and dimensional in all their mystery and melancholy. Such isolated settings allow tight relationships, complex conflicts, and the formation of unexpected communities to steer the plot.

This was my first time reading a book from Kidd, and based on this, I’m certainly open to reading more.

Amna A.

Brilliant fictional retelling of the Batavia shipwreck from the point of view of two 9 year old children, one in 1628 and the other 1989. Immersive. Haunting. Loved every bit of it.

this takes some turns that i didn’t totally gel with but the final stretch packs an emotional wallop. 

Mitch McGonegal

Rebecca Lysaght

ONE SHIPWRECK. TWO MISFITS. THREE CENTURIES APART. 1629.

Embarking on a journey in search of her father, a young girl called Mayken boards the Batavia, the most impressive sea vessel of the age. During the long voyage, this curious and resourceful child must find her place in the ship’s stratified world. She soon uncovers shadowy secrets above and below deck and as tensions spiral, the fate of the ship and all on board becomes increasingly uncertain.

1989. Gil, a boy mourning the death of his mother, is placed in the care of his cranky grandfather. Their home is a shack on a tiny fishing island off the West Australian coast, notable only for its reefs and wrecked boats. This is no place for a boy struggling with a dark past, and Gil’s actions soon get him noticed by the wrong people.

“The Night Ship” is an enthralling tale of human brutality, fate and friendship – and of two children, hundreds of years apart, whose destinies are inextricably bound together.

The Night Ship

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