![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() What he hopes will be a kind of paid vacation turns out to be a fierce struggle for survival against the harsh northern elements as well as the schemes of the crew. He also has no idea that he will be in the company of murderers, rapists, psychopaths, and social misfits. Sumner has no inkling that what he really has done is throw his lot in with professional criminals who intend to scuttle the ship in the north waters off England and collect the maritime insurance. The surgeon hoards a good supply of drugs with the goal of enjoying a chemical holiday while he writes poetry in a kind of blissed-out escape from reality. After leaving India where he had been stationed by the British colonial health system during a time of great unrest, Sumner signs up for a stint with the Volunteer, a sealing/whaling ship whose mission is to collect as much blubber and seal fur as possible for the European energy markets. The North Water by Ian McGuire, a historical fiction/thriller, is told from an omniscient narrator focusing on the point of view of a ship's surgeon, Patrick Sumner, who is the protagonist. NOTE: Citations from this Study Guide refer to the paperback edition of The North Water, published by Henry Holt and Company, 2016. ![]()
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