The Wager, by David Grann (Vintage Books [Penguin Randomhouse], 2025, 406pp, $21 PB)
Written by the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, The Wager has everything: a shipwreck in the 1740s, the British high seas, mutiny, murder, scurvy and cannibalism, a court-martial, castaways, anarchy and treachery, starvation, officer-gentlemen and conscripted sailors, etc., etc., etc. Of course if you have been in the Navy you will understand more of the sea-faring terminology but, if not, you can skip and skim over it and still read a suspenseful true novel, even if you know how it ends.
The Wager was one ship in a squadron sailing from England around the 'bottom' of South America to find Spanish (enemy) ships laden with treasures for the taking. However, the Wager also found stormy weather and poor health, and was shipwrecked on an island, causing the crew to ration supplies and search for sustenance.
In time, tempers grew short and the men divided into groups for infighting. Those whose health helped them survive had to respect the British laws of the sea or suffer the consequences - if not onboard, then when they miraculously sailed back to England.
The group divided into two factions, with each taking off, hoping to reach England again. And they did, months apart, resulting in a book and a trial, the outcome which was conservative but I will leave that to your finishing this whale of a tale.
This reviewer's only comment is that about 2/3 of the way through reading The Wager, I misplaced the book for days and when I found it again, I had forgotten who was who. Therefore, my advice is to perhaps read it in four evenings (it has four sections).
Makes me want to read Swiss Family Robinson or Robinson Crusoe or Mutiny on the Bounty in the original form! And it was interesting to see the class structure in 18th century British military compared to that in the US military today. And finally, I was so surprised that anyone survived!
