Book Review

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea. By Sebastian Junger

In the story, Sebastian Junger tells the story from several viewpoints about the 1991 storm that hit the East Coast of the United States and how they were individually affected by the storm. The basis of the story is told from the perspective of the crew of the Andrea Gail as well as from a present tense narrator stand point giving details about the crew and their individual lives. Junger also jumps and tells the story through the eyes of a rescue team belonging to the U.S. Coast Guard and their brave actions to help and save life’s trapped in the storm. While reading this book, Junger would often switch styles of writing when he switches the viewpoint of the story. This did make it a little harder to follow and remember all the detailed information from each story line. However, I found this to be an interesting style and helped me stay interested and involved.

Junger starts the story by introducing the characters and getting the reader better acclimated to the kind of crew that is working on the Andrea Gail. The author is very effective at describing the type of people that hang out at the Crow’s Nest Bar, the main tavern in the in Gloucester, Massachusetts where the story takes place. He uses colorful words to paint a picture of the important characters in the story. Characters and their backgrounds quickly emerge as Junger talks about the atmosphere in the town and the unknown side of fishing. The focus is then brought upon the six main crew members; Billy Tyne, Bobby Shatford, Dale Murphy, David Sullivan, Micheal Moran, and Alfred Pierre. He goes in detail the ins and outs of catching swordfish and informs the audience of all the behind the scene action that happens besides just fishing. Junger goes into deep detail of the fishing scene and uses very specific nautical terms. At times I had to look up words mainly because I had no idea what he was talking about but I was also interested what importance it had.

The story moves along slowly as the anticipation for the climax begins. More and more details about the area start to emerge. The crew is fully aware of how dangerous the area they are fishing. Throughout the story you get the sense that these men show respect for the ocean and its powerful abilities. The specific area is known for producing powerful storms because of the combination of the low-pressure systems and the local jet stream passing through. These men know what is at stake but they often speak in terms of present and only see so far in the future. Plagued by unsuccessful previous excursions the crew hits a hot streak while getting further and further away from the coast. The story takes a turn when the Andra Gail starts the trip back to Gloucester when it gets news alerting the incoming storm. Knowing that conditions are worsening, Junger starts to transform the storm by depicting it as living entity. The story starts to show the true depth of the characters by showing their human characteristics. Junger sheds light on the brave individuals of the U.S. Coast Guard that are risking their own lives to go out and save the stranded sailors. The imagery that Junger depicts of the sea is unimaginable. He talks about thirty foot open ocean swells and winds up to one hundred mile per hour winds.

This book defiantly drew me in with the attention to detail and the amount of research that went into depicting the events that transpired. The way Junger draws you into the story and teaches you the ins and out of what it is to be a freshwater fisherman just makes me feel like I’m on a boat actually experiencing it. I’ve been on the ocean before in what I thought was pretty bad conditions, but the way the author depicts the storms it makes what I have been through a cloudy day to these brave men.