The Wager

Survival narratives are popular for good reason: they intrinsically strike all the aspects that make a good story. There's a build up as events begin unfolding, a (often dramatic) crisis putting the main character in danger, and a tale of courage and overcoming adversity as said main character perseveres against all odds. The very best of these, like Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, are still fondly read more than 300 years after its initial publication in 1719. And I bring up that specific novel for it's fundamental similarity to this week's work, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. They both outline shipwrecked survivors stranded on islands, relating their stories of survival. There is a major difference between the two though: the latter is a true story.

A bit over twenty years after the publication of Dafoe's story, in the midst of the War of Jenkins' Ear, a British naval expedition set out to capture a Spanish galleon filled with treasures from the New World. To do so, they would need to cross the Atlantic, sail around South America, and up into the Pacific. But if the mission wasn't hard enough, they needed to do so while ill-equipped, partially manned by men collected from a care home (including amputees and the elderly), and facing some very bad weather. On top of it all, scurvy strikes and a Spanish fleet gives chase.

Importantly to this novel, the HMS Wager is shipwrecked off the coast of modern day Chile. The Wager follows the story of the men who made it onto a deserted island and survived there for months. In a real-life Lord of the Flies style tale, man devolves to the basest level, doing what it takes to live. Of course, factionalism and conflict break out. 

This thrilling tale is gripping from start to finish and expertly written. It is well-researched and based on the recounting of some survivors, of their contemporaneously written log books, and on recorded trial information. I am incredibly impressed by The Wager, and highly recommend it. Also, as a side note, this is the briefest time between book publication and my review to date, having been released April 18, 2023.

Again, this true tale of suffering, perseverance, and courage is amazing. I really recommend it.