Voyage of the narwhal a novel by andrea barrett the human side of arctic exploration
1. Voyage of the Narwhal: A Novel by
Andrea Barrett
The Human Side Of Arctic Exploration
In Andrea Barretts extraordinary novel of Arctic and personal exploration,
maps are deceitful, ice all-powerful, and reputation more important than
truth or human lives. When the Narwhal sets sail from Philadelphia in May
1855, its ostensible goal is to find the crew of a long-vanished expedition--
or at least their relics--and be home before winter. Of course, if the men
can chart new coasts and stock up on specimens en route, so much the
better. And then theres the keen prospect of selling their story, fraught
with danger and discovery, to a public thirsting for excitement. Zeke
Voorhees, the Narwhals young commander, is so handsome that he
makes women stare and men hum with envy--perhaps not the best
qualification for his post--but he seems loved by all. Only his brother-in-
law-to-be, a naturalist, quietly mistrusts him, though hes determined to
stand by the youth for his sister Lavinias sake. At 40, eternal low-profiler
Erasmus Darwin Wells has one disastrous expedition behind him and is
praying for another scientific chance. He is, however, familiar with the
physical risks theyre taking, as well as the long stretches when nothing
2. happened except that ones ties to home were imperceptibly dissolved and
one became a stranger to ones life. And what of the women left behind?
Lavinia knows little of the dangers of ice (though shes well schooled in
isolation) and lives only for Zekes return. Her companion, Alexandra
Copeland, is less sanguine. Even after shes been given a secret career
break--ghosting for an ailing engraver--she knows how invisible she is and
how threatening her familys dense net of obligations will always be.
Though they get less page time, Barrett is in fact as concerned with these
women as she is with her seafarers. Like the heroines of her National
Book Award-winning Ship Fever, who bump up against science and
history in which only mens triumphs are written, they must somehow
escape social tyranny or retreat into the consolations of storytelling or
silence. There is tyranny on board the Narwhal as well, as Zeke
alternates between good will and paranoia, his closest companion an
arctic fox he has civilized and who sits on his shoulder like a white
epaulet. (Alas, Sabine, like many of the men, is not to survive the journey.)
Encounters with the Esquimaux--who might know more about the lost
expedition than theyre willing to share--not having gone according to plan,
Zeke determines in late August to head for Smith Sound rather than
home, despite the crews protests. By mid-September, however, the craft
is ice-locked, and its clear theyll have to winter over. At first the men make
the best of their situation, magically sculpting cottages, castles, palaces,
even a whale--and offering informal seminars in butchery, Bible studies,
and basic navigation. However, as the weather worsens and Zeke grows
increasingly despotic, morale plummets. Barrett excels in both physical
and social description, writing with a naturalists precision and a
passionate imagination. With quick strokes (backed up by intense
research), she can fill us in on some sensible but threatening Esq uimaux
footgear: All five were dressed in fur jackets and breeches, with high boots
made from the leg skins of white bears. The mens feet, Erasmus saw,
were sheltered by the bears feet, with claws protruding like overgrown
human toenails. Walking, the men left bear prints on the snow. The author
also shines in panoramic scenes--her descriptions of the Arctic can only
be called magnificent--and in small, precarious, personal moments. When
Erasmus eventually returns to Philadelphia, minus his toes and his future
brother-in-law, a grieving Lavinia takes to her bed. Eventually, however,
she relents: Lavinia stared straight ahead. Straight at Erasmus, her right
hand tucked in her lap while her left turned a silver spoon back to front,
front to back, the reflections melting, re-forming, and melting again....
Lavinia said softly, I forgive you. Everyone knew she was speaking to
Erasmus. The Voyage of the Narwhal is full of blood-freezing surprises, a
score of indelible characters, and heart-stopping mysteries. As Erasmus
watches Alexandra draw landscapes he has seen before but missed
something in, each pencil stroke is like a chisel held to a cleavage plane:
tap, tap, and the rock split into two sharp pieces, the world cracked and
spoke to him. Readers of Andrea Barretts novel will experience this
sensation again and again. Packed with harsh truths about the not-
always-true art of discovery, it is also among the most emotionally
wrenching, subtle works of the century. --Kerry Fried
3. Personal Review: Voyage of the Narwhal: A Novel by Andrea
Barrett
Early Arctic exploration has been a popular topic the last few years, as we
can warmly and safely look back in wonderment at the amazing courage,
persistence, and discoveries of these men.
But the histories focus on the adventurous aspects of the journey, not on
the organizational and human aspects of small groups of men in close
quarters under harsh conditions for long periods of time. This work of
fiction goes there where the histories don't and can't in examining how the
men thought about each other and interacted with each other.
I have read some of the histories, and this book rings so true to their spirit
that I thought it was based on a true story. It works on all levels as history ,
adventure, and a novel.
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