“So, like a teenage virgin recounting in breathless detail an imaginary conquest, I lied.”
An epic adventurer saga meets a tall fishing tale in Compass, by Murray Lee. Compass tells the story of a man who has made his living telling the stories of adventurers and decides it is time for his own. A poorly timed, and even less prepared, trip to the Arctic floe edge ends in disaster when the ice breaks. Set adrift, the adventurer must battle the never setting sun, the animals that begin to speak to him, and his own mind as his fixation with the Inuit goddess of the sea becomes all too real.
Listen. I’ve got a lot of thoughts about this book. I am always wary of white men (as a rule) writing stories involving indigenous cultures. Luckily, that wasn’t what this story was, really. I’ll start with the writing.
The writing is vivid and detailed and it definitely reads like you’re reading the journal of a lost man slowly losing his mind. The rich descriptions really help build the world of the Arctic and place the reader in the setting. The description of camaraderie in the native village is personal and well researched. You can tell the author has spent time within the Inuit community and does a wonderful job paying respect to all aspects of arctic life. As I mentioned, I was worried it would be whitewashed and riddle with a hero complex (I had no clue what to expect) but I didn’t gather that feeling at all. Yes, the main character is a dick, but the author’s handling of the native lore and culture is sensitive and pleasant. (I realize this is a white woman’s opinion on something I don’t really have a right to an opinion on but it didn’t give me the ick, so..)
If the main character is meant to come off as an arrogant asshole, well done (If that’s you’re writing style, I’m so sorry). He definitely captured that White Guy “Adventurer”™️ (colonizer) feel with him. He’s still fairly respectful of the culture while he’s in it, but it is definitely only because he wants something.
“‘So many words,’ she had written. “‘So little meaning.’”
He also comes across as a bit of a male chauvinist. From blatantly copying research tactics from a younger student to his description of a statue of the sea goddess Sedna, he gave me the ick. However, you can’t help but keep reading. You have to know how it ends for him. If he gets his just desserts.
This book was unlike any of my usual preferences. That being said, I quite enjoyed it. It was a little heavy in the descriptions at times but it was riveting and compelled me to keep reading. If you love an adventure story and a “man vs… well everything” type story, this is definitely the book for you. I could see this being adapted into a movie.
An epic adventurer saga meets a tall fishing tale in Compass, by Murray Lee. Compass tells the story of a man who has made his living telling the stories of adventurers and decides it is time for his own. A poorly timed, and even less prepared, trip to the Arctic floe edge ends in disaster when the ice breaks. Set adrift, the adventurer must battle the never setting sun, the animals that begin to speak to him, and his own mind as his fixation with the Inuit goddess of the sea becomes all too real.
Listen. I’ve got a lot of thoughts about this book. I am always wary of white men (as a rule) writing stories involving indigenous cultures. Luckily, that wasn’t what this story was, really. I’ll start with the writing.
The writing is vivid and detailed and it definitely reads like you’re reading the journal of a lost man slowly losing his mind. The rich descriptions really help build the world of the Arctic and place the reader in the setting. The description of camaraderie in the native village is personal and well researched. You can tell the author has spent time within the Inuit community and does a wonderful job paying respect to all aspects of arctic life. As I mentioned, I was worried it would be whitewashed and riddle with a hero complex (I had no clue what to expect) but I didn’t gather that feeling at all. Yes, the main character is a dick, but the author’s handling of the native lore and culture is sensitive and pleasant. (I realize this is a white woman’s opinion on something I don’t really have a right to an opinion on but it didn’t give me the ick, so..)
If the main character is meant to come off as an arrogant asshole, well done (If that’s you’re writing style, I’m so sorry). He definitely captured that White Guy “Adventurer”™️ (colonizer) feel with him. He’s still fairly respectful of the culture while he’s in it, but it is definitely only because he wants something.
“‘So many words,’ she had written. “‘So little meaning.’”
He also comes across as a bit of a male chauvinist. From blatantly copying research tactics from a younger student to his description of a statue of the sea goddess Sedna, he gave me the ick. However, you can’t help but keep reading. You have to know how it ends for him. If he gets his just desserts.
This book was unlike any of my usual preferences. That being said, I quite enjoyed it. It was a little heavy in the descriptions at times but it was riveting and compelled me to keep reading. If you love an adventure story and a “man vs… well everything” type story, this is definitely the book for you. I could see this being adapted into a movie.