Happy Wednesday guys! Today I’m going to be reviewing Ian McGuire’s novel The North Water.

The North Water by: Ian McGuire: Aboard the Volunteer is a very brutal harpooner, Henry Drax, and an ex-military surgeon with a ruined reputation, Patrick Sumner. As they make their way across open waters in the dead of winter, Sumner thought he’d seen how far men can go, that is until he meets Drax. The pure evil he commits while they are trapped on the ship is unspeakable. This novel was definitely an acquired taste; dealing with quite gruesome plots and very vivid imagery it’s safe to say this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The writing was rather crude and blatant. What McGuire does do well, even if his descriptions are quite unpleasant, he has a talent for making the reader feel their senses and it’s different and interesting. For the most part this story moved and was fast paced. The characters were brutal to each other, but it really moved the story and kept things interesting for the reader. On the whole, this novel was filled with great writing, the subject matter just wasn’t the most pleasant.