Book Review: Ahab's Wife

By Margaret "Meg" Barstow

Ahab's Wife, written by Sena Jeter Naslund in l999, is a credible expansion of Herman Melville's great American novel, Moby Dick. From Melville's three, brief references to Ahab's "young girl-wife," the author has created a memorable heroine, giving her the name of Una. She has made Una an intelligent and courageous young woman of the mid l9th century, and filled her life with dramatic events, both tragic and joyful.

The book is great reading, very hard to put down! Una tells her own story of her childhood in Kentucky and in a lighthouse off the coast of New England, and then her life in Nantucket. The romance and loving marriage of Una and Ahab was obviously genuine, though often they were separated by Ahab's whaling trips. The romance showed a gentle and loving side of Captain Ahab, which was not so evident in Herman Melville's book when Ahab was so obsessed with revenge in his pursuit of the white whale, Moby Dick.

The lives of other characters in Moby Dick are also expanded in Ahab's Wife. One in particular is Mary Starbuck, the wife of Ahab's First Mate on the Pequod. She became a very good friend of Una, as they both coped with being wives of often-gone whalers, and eventually became widows. Another was Ishmael, who was the sole survivor of the Pequod.

For those who have a special interest in whales, Ahab's Wife gives accurate descriptions of whales and insights into the lives of whalers, as well as their wives. The book also gives insights into many of the issues of the times, including women's rights and slavery. In its historical accuracy, the book has much evidence of careful research, yet it is in the context of an exciting, suspenseful story.

Not surprisingly, Ahab's Wife has won many awards including being chosen New York Times Book of the Year. Naslund, herself, has also received the "Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writer".

Written in the style of Moby Dick, Ahab's Wife is a remarkable companion book. However, it stands alone as well, and I recommend it to all!