1850: A sea-chest full of books arrives for Antonio Mateus Carvalho Cabral, the younger son of a family of whalers on the small volcanic island of Pico. The Carvalho brothers – handsome Marcelinho and clever Antonio – are destined to spend their lives hunting whales. But the arrival of an unexpected gift changes both their lives forever. As the younger Carvalho discovers the fascinating world of the whale, a chasm opens between the two brothers, made all the more perilous by their shared passion for the alluring and wilful Margarida Machado.
From the Azores to Lisbon, from Newfoundland to Australia, our hero travels in search of love, fortune and his very soul. It is in Eden, a small whaling port on the south coast of New South Wales, that he finally finds salvation in the shape of Alice Binney, fellow lost soul and impostor, in flight from her dark past. An enduring bond forms between the two, culminating in a final, dazzling act of atonement.
Gloriously dark, delightful, witty and moving, Mr Carver’s Whale is a novel of our many crimes against nature and the human heart, and the price we have to pay for our sins. But can love ever really be a crime?
Lyn Hughes is the author of four critically acclaimed novels, The Factory, which was shortlisted for the National Book Council’s New Writing Award, One Way Mirrors, The Bright House and Flock. Now, more than ten years after her last novel, she is back with Mr Carver’s Whale, and I’m thrilled to be discovering her for the first time. This novel is one of the most captivating, unusual and gripping pieces of historical fiction I’ve read this year.
From the very start I was swept up into the setting of the Azores Islands, far off the coast of Portugal, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Having never even heard of these tiny volcanic islands where whaling was prevalent, I loved being immersed in the unfamiliar location. From the islands to the bustle of Lisbon and then, in the latter half of the novel, Eden NSW, Hughes richly develops her settings. As for the characters, brothers Antonio and Marcelinho are utterly compelling protagonists. Their love triangle with Margarida and relationships with other family members makes for some dramatic, page-turning scenes.
If you are a fan of historical fiction from Isabel Allende, you are sure to love Mr Carver’s Whale. Hughes has written a sumptuous and gripping novel, with a unique setting and storyline that sets it apart.
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