Cracked by the convoys
Sailor's Heart, by Martin Campbell
Set
in the dark days of 1942, Martin Campbell's historical novel is about the lives of three seafarers fighting for their country in the Arctic Convoys. Cracking under the intense pressure, they are sent for experimental treatment at Kielder so that they can be returned to battle.
Campbell's novel goes into the suffering of people pushed past breaking point, and the work of psychiatrists expected to 'repair' those who are seen not so much as human beings but faulty parts in the war machine. The main characters are fictional, but the background is all real – and dark. Not a novel for the faint-hearted, but certainly for those interested in a compelling and neglected part of maritime history.
Sailor's Heart
By Martin Campbell
Self-published, £11.95 (available in the Nautilus Bookshop)
ISBN: 979 15272 54824
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
How to 'make it' in the superyacht industry
Superyacht Success, by Brendan O'ShannassyBack in 2022, we reviewed Brendan O'Shannassy's memoir Superyacht Captain. Now Capt O'Shannassy has returned with a new book that focuses on how crew can navigate their careers.
Love for seafaring conquers all
No Quitting, by Andrea BarkerAndrea Barker's memoir of her 1990s Merchant Navy cadetship tells of her eagerness and determination to follow the career pursued by generations of her family. Unfortunately, there were choppy waters ahead...
Radio revelry
Barques, Sparks and Sharks, by Len WilsonSeafarers are known for their story-telling abilities, and Orkney-born Len Wilson does not disappoint in this memoir of his years as a radio officer
Mastering our harbours
Harbours and Their Masters, by Mark Ashley-MillerNovice skipper Mark Ashley-Miller recently spent five years circumnavigating the UK and Ireland as a charity challenge – interviewing and photographing the harbour masters he met along the way.