Alone on a Wide Wide Sea
by by Michael Morpurgo
Fans of Morpurgo's measured, readable style and ability to blend an important and fashionable issue into an appealing story will not be disappointed here. We are quickly engaged by Arthur Hobhouse's objective but painful account of his transportation to Australia at the end of the Second World War. Like thousands of others, he is orphaned and ripped away from everything he knows, including his only sister, Kitty. All he has left is the mysterious key she hung round his neck.
For the first two thirds of the book, we follow Arthur's progress, starting with his compelling account of his appalling slavery at "Piggy Bacon's" outback farm. The final third of the book describes the single-handed sea voyage of Arthur's daughter, Allie, in Kitty Four, a boat built by Arthur and named after his long-lost sister. Allie's quest is to find Kitty and solve, if she can, the mystery of the precious key.
Call me a land-lubber but Allie's long sea voyage failed to thrill me! I was sorry to reach the end of Arthur's narrative. There were interesting (if somewhat monotonously saintly!) characters introduced who were rather summarily removed and episodes in Arthur's life about which I would have liked to know more. By contrast, Allie's voyage lacked significant event or tension. It was all too obvious how matters would resolve and difficulties with her voyage added no real suspense. For keen sailors, however, Allie's voyage may be the high spot. My personal preference would have been to hear more from Arthur.
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