52 Books: Book 31

Even though I have been slacking on writing my book posts, it has not been for a lack of reading. I was actually reading three books at once over the last couple of weeks and book 31 is over 600 pages!

Book #31 on my list is Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund. First I must confess that I have never read Moby Dick and since reading Ahab's Wife, I decided it would be prudent to read the American classic by Herman Melville as well {it is currently on my night stand}.

Since I had not read Moby Dick I had no idea of what to expect from this novel. Having read the overview on Goodreads, I have to admit that some of the meanings and connections to the original novel were lost on me. Having now read the first three chapters of Moby Dick, I can say that the new narrative blends perfectly into the old {so far}.

This novel introduces us to Una when she is a girl. Written from her perspective, it weaves a story of a girl growing up in unusual circumstances who eventually finds herself running away to sea as a cabin boy. Along the way she meets Captain Ahab and several other characters from the original book. We get a glimpse into what it might have been like had Ahab found love, but the love is not enough to overcome his madness to hunt the great white whale.

I found this to be a very intriguing story and I can't wait to get further into Moby Dick. If you have read the classic before, I would definitely recommend this prequel. If you have not read the classic, I would recommend that you pick up both books and read them together as I am doing.