Surviving Savannah

In 1838 a ship named the Steamship Pulaski blew up in the middle of the night and sank to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of North Carolina carrying many prominent members of Savannah Society with it. The author was beginning to write a story around this ship and the people who survived when the shipwreck was discovered. The author was able to use the artifacts discovered and the stories they led to in the novel, and even provides an extensive book club kit on her website to enhance the reader experience.
The novel is a well-written dual timeline and is crafted in a way that the themes of grief, survival, slavery and family are woven between the characters in both times. There is an intriguing part of the story where one character disappeared after surviving, and we find out what happened to them at the end. One of the points that is made in different ways is how different people deal with grief and when they are faced with life-altering circumstances. This is something that will stay with me, both in how “Some people didn't die and some people lived”, and how everything important and unimportant becomes clear when faced with tragedy.

This would make a wonderful book club book. I was able to read an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and ended up purchasing a copy for a book club discussion afterwards.

The history behind this book is fascinating. It's fun learning about the Pulaski shipwreck, as well as the expedition uncovering it, and the history of Savannah.

That said, I wasn't a fan of the writing. The chapters set in the past, written in third person, were far better than the chapters in present day, written in first person. And there was altogether too much telling and not enough showing. I consider myself to be of reasonable intelligence and can gather things for myself without having them explained to me.

Not to mention, some of the language in the present day chapters is too sentimental and ethereal for my taste. For example:

“What really mattered? Minutes or years passed as I searched for the answer. Finally my heart called out: everything. Everything matters. ... There existed a great life force, a presence that could only be called love. Alongside me, inside me, around me, I sensed the waves of something larger than the ocean itself. Love, where I would eventually go. ... It was unseen and it held everything together. I was in it and I was of it.”

I prefer more straight-forward writing and I think prose and moralizing need to be earned. So overall the novel was only okay for me. I did enjoy reading the author's note and learning about the history though.