We, the Drowned
Carsten Jensen, translated from the Danish by Charlotte Barslund with Emma Ryder
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: 675 pp., $28
Seafaring literature often trades on a sense of freedom and daring deeds. After all, the ocean has long been a symbol of the possibility for adventure and a better life, even if it has also been the source of great tragedy. In Danish author Carsten Jensen's epic novel "We, the Drowned," these themes are accompanied by a strong sense of the peculiarities of human nature. This first novel by a noted journalist chronicles the lives of the fisherfolk of Marstal, Denmark, from the late 1800s through World War II. Based on historical fact, "We, the Drowned" skillfully recounts large- and small-scale events, including a harrowing voyage in the South Pacific under a mad captain and a detailed account of the cruelties of an abusive teacher whose actions will mold the next generation of sailors.
Some of the best scenes include realistic reportage of horrific naval battles, with no skimping on the details: "Ejnar saw a man's eye explode into a red mess and another man's skull torn off." However, the author is also able to delicately record the painful stop-start courtship between an old sailor and a young widow, writing, "They made love like two people who are tied to others and can only meet illicitly, briefly, and breathlessly. And that was indeed their situation: he was married to his old age, and she to her youth. The bridge where they were supposed to meet cracked the moment they stepped on it."