The Page 99 Test: Eric Jay Dolin's "Left For Dead"

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Eric Jay Dolin's "Left For Dead"

Eric Jay Dolin is the best-selling and award-winning author of numerous works in maritime history, including Leviathan, Rebels at Sea, and Black Flags, Blue Waters. He lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Dolin applied the "Page 99 Test" to his new book, Left For Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World, and reported the following:

The following is selected text from page 99 of Left for Dead:
The first decision Richard Brooks and the crew had to make was which course to take. They could either hug the continent or go in more of a straight line, farther out to sea. On the one hand, there was some comfort in being close to shore in case a storm threatened to overwhelm the boat and force them to land. But the possibility of being driven onto the Patagonian shore by contrary winds was deemed to be the graver danger, so they plotted a route almost due north, hoping to reach Montevideo, nearly 1,200 miles away.

The men sailed onward, constantly chilled and often wet, battling to keep the sails properly oriented in the face of strong and variable winds. During the first week, little light came from the new moon, which was often hidden by passing clouds. In those dark hours, a lantern and candles provided enough illumination to read the compass so that they could maintain their course. When the skies allowed, Brooks used celestial navigation to track their progress.

They quickly fell into a cooking routine. In fine weather, they lit a wood fire in the large iron pot brought from the Isabella and placed the other, smaller pot within, loaded with two days’ worth of food. That way, if rough weather intervened, they might have enough cooked provisions to see it through. The usual fare was as follows: When the ocean was calm, the breakfast, prepared by the men on watch, consisted of tea or heated chocolate, fried salt pork, and a biscuit. When conditions were rough, however, breakfast was pared down to half a pint of wine and a biscuit. They always skipped lunch, and dinner consisted of soup made from salt beef, the geese that had been shot on Eagle Island, and the cabbages the men had collected at the abandoned settlement. To that was added a pint of wine. For a nightcap, they treated themselves to a splash of rum diluted in a cupful of water. This routine was altered after one of the men, fumbling about in the dark, spilled some of the water, reducing the store of this precious commodity. After that, tea was eliminated from the menu. Despite the lack of exercise, other than moving about on the cramped boat, and the monotony of the food, the men maintained good appetites and remained healthy throughout the voyage.
This passage captures a bit of the excitement of the book, but does not give a good representation of it, other than making it clear that it is a maritime tale with at least one dramatic voyage. I am sorry Mr. Ford, but your test fails. This passage does not provide the context of this voyage -- that it is being made by six men on a 17.5 boat (quite an amazing feat, that is a success!) -- nor does it even hint at the many twists and turns in the book, and the numerous characters and ships involved.

This is perhaps the most exciting, pulse-pounding book I have ever written, and it is not just a fantastic tale of maritime disaster and survival which can stand up to the best of such stories, but it is also a tale that shows men and women acting honorably and abysmally, all under the myriad pressures of wartime (the War of 1812). The story is cinematic in scope, and, indeed, many early readers have said it would make a great movie (Hollywood, if you are listening, take note!). For me, Left for Dead's greatest achievement is that it is written in a way that makes it hard to put down. I know that is rich for me to say, but that is what I am hearing from readers, none of whom are related or beholden to me in any way.