Book Fortyseven: A High Wind in Jamaica

A High Wind in Jamaica, Richard Hughes



A friend casually said to me at a Halloween party, "So, are you going to be doing NaNoWriMo this year?" I'm sure there was no reason why he asked me in particular, and I'm guessing that this was his idle party chatter for the season, but for some reason it really stuck with me. I thought, "Hey, why not try to write a novel? Who says you can't? I've got things to say!"

But then I read this and realized that I will never write a book. Because I am not a writer and will never be this good. This is stinking good writing. What I write is poop compared to this (case in point: my over usage of the word poop). So yeah, thanks Richard Hughes for making me realize where the bar is and helping me understand that I probably won't ever reach it. But honestly, I'm okay with that, as long as I have books to read that are this amazing.

The plot is crazy: a group of young children, en route to England after their parents have decided that British-occupied Jamaica is not safe for them, are captured by pirates and accidentally taken aboard their ship. But it's not what you expect. The pirates don't really want the children there, but the children adapt quickly to life with the pirates. Everything about this feels child-like, even though the themes and storytelling are quite adult.

But the writing! There are passages I want to quote at length, but I lent my book to someone and can't. I suppose that's all for the best, since I would probably go on an on with excerpts if I could. I'll just say that if you like books about the sea, then this is for you. If you like books with adventure and action, this is for you. If you like books that make you think, then this is definitely for you. If you like books that both delight you with beauty and alarm you with harsh realities, then this is absolutely for you.