Book Review: The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh

Excerpt: Yesterday, when it had become a certainty their ship would sink, Laura and John Foster held hands, as they had on their wedding day three weeks ago, and made a vow: when that moment finally came, they would leap into the sea together and slip beneath the waves. One quick inhale of water. It wouldn't be suicide. God had already determined it to be their last day on earth.

But that's not what happened.

Laura was still here, alive and alone. By now, John had most certainly perished along with the rest.

Her tears temporarily spent, Laura lifted her head and looked at the other women. Faces barely recognizable. Cold, wet, quietly weeping, or else staring at nothing, eyes locked in grief. All the men in their lives - husbands, brothers, fathers - were gone. The Deepest Waters, pg 9.

Back Cover: For John and Laura Foster, what began as a fairytale honeymoon in 1857 aboard the steamship SS Vandervere soon becomes a nightmare. A terrible hurricane strikes and the grand ship is lost in the murky depths of the Atlantic. Laura finds herself rescued with the other women and children, but how can she feel anything but despondent without her groom? Suspecting her John is gone but still daring to hope for a miracle, Laura must face to possibility of life alone.

My Review: Dan Walsh has taken an amazing moment in history and turned it into a wonderful novel full of heartache and hope. Ever the great storyteller, Walsh takes us through the painful journey of one woman leaving her beloved in danger on the open water. Danger finds her on board her own ship as she stands up for what is right, and makes friends with the "wrong" people. Questions of the future loom large as Laura Foster contemplates life without her new husband. She also learns an important lesson about freedom.

I only have one criticism of this story. I really wish that it would have been given exclusively in Laura's point of view, to heighten the emotional connection between me and the character.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.