Each character brings something different to the story. Did you relate to any of them in particular? If so, please explain who and why. Gil is also nine and he has also recently lost his mother. The year is 1989 and he is living on a small island off the coast of Western Australia with his fisherman Grandfather. His story is horribly sad and I cried all the way through one chapter involving a tortoise. You have to read it to understand! Mayken hasn’t forgotten the expression of terror Creesje was wearing when she first saw her—the fine lady being hoisted up the side of the ship like a bag of flour! Now terror has been replaced by a customary expression of dismay. As Imke puts it, she’s probably not had to wash in her own piss before. When he arrives, his grandfather is waiting for him, and it is clear the others standing around are not friendly toward them, their ’hostile glances’ are all Gil needs to understand the situation. They head toward his home.

In 1989, a boy mourning the death of his beloved mother, called Gil, with a dark past, is placed in the care of his solitary grandfather on a tiny fishing island off the Australian coast. With "THE NIGHT SHIP" Kidd has weaved together two of my favourite genres and the result is another stellar book. Q: You created such a varied cast of characters. Was there one character who was your favorite to write about? If so, why? Pelgrom, it seems, has a particular gift: the gift of knowing exactly what you need and then giving it to you. Mayken loves the sailors instantly. The daring of them, their speed along the ropes, the heights they climb to!”

Find a Book

Mayken must not say a word about the baby because it shouldn’t have been up there in the first place. She has practiced with her nursemaid. Storytelling is woven into The Night Ship in various ways, including through folklore and family histories. What do you think the author is trying to achieve with these layers of storytelling? Your key to the Below World,” says Pelgrom grandly. He brings forward a sour-smelling bundle. “A disguise. You can’t trot around down there in your fine gown and lace collar. They’ll see at once that you don’t belong.”

Theirs is the farthest hut from the jetty. It stands at the south end of the island behind a bank of scrub as if sloping away from company. As if it would rather launch itself into the sea than converse with its neighbors.’ Lying brings bad karma. Even a small lie can make something really bad happen and the karma will grow to match it.”

The story is told across two timelines: In 1628, Mayken, a nonconformist girl, finds herself on a ship where dark folklore and omens gather like clouds. In 1989, Gil, a nonconformist youngster, finds himself on a haunted fishermen's island off the coast of Australia. She feels a soft touch on her arm. The grown daughter is saying something earnest about mothers and angels.