A Night to Remember. Walter Lord. 1955. 182 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: High in the crow's nest of the New White Star Liner Titanic, Lookout Frederick Fleet peered into a dazzling night. It was calm, clear and bitterly cold. There was no moon, but the cloudless sky blazed with stars. The Atlantic was like polished plate glass; people later said they had never seen it so smooth.
Narrative nonfiction originally published in 1955. A Night To Remember is an account of the sinking of the Titanic and the direct aftermath of the disaster. The narrative begins on the final evening of the maiden voyage of the ship. The narrative flitters and flutters between dozens--if not hundreds--points of view. What makes the narrative cohesive is the chronological timeline of events. Readers do get an occasional aside or observation from the author (presumably). He might be sharing several details taken directly from survivors, but he'll add in, well, this doesn't really quite fit in with these other facts. For example, he points out how many of the women claimed to be in "the last boat" lowered.
I mentioned the many voices within this one. That can be just as big a strength as a weakness. On the one hand, there is something to be said for sticking to one voice and truly providing an in-depth experience. You can get caught up more in the emotions and drama of it when the narrative is narrower. On the other hand, there is value in trying to capture the scope of the magnitude of the many, many, many voices. Each voice mattered then and matters now. So often one can lose sight of the magnitude of a tragedy by just tuning in to one voice, hearing one story. The drama is in the events not intimately knowing each and every passenger. And watching the events unfold carries weight.
© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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