The Surfacing is the second novel by Irish-born author, Cormac James. Lieutenant Richard Morgan is the second officer on the brig Impetus, part of the search for Franklin’s lost Arctic expedition. The narration, which extends over twenty-seven months and is told in the third person from Morgan’s point of view, begins in March 1850, when the brig arrives at Disko, Greenland, for supplies. They are late joining the search and the Captain, Gordon Myers is perhaps more ambitious than talented, making a few unwise decisions that see them forced to return to Disko for repairs for several weeks during the optimum season for the Arctic search. After they have been under weigh again for three weeks, a stowaway is revealed: a woman pregnant with Morgan’s child. Soon enough, it becomes apparent that this hostile environment will be witness the birth of the child.
This is a novel that twines historical fact with fiction: there were many ships sent out to try to find the lost Franklin expedition, but James does warn in his Acknowledgements “Where known facts have not suited my narrative, I have ignored them.” Thus, many elements are drawn from true accounts of the search missions, ships going down, sledge travel and retreat with a whaleboat, giving the narration an authentic feel. There is a wealth of interesting information presented in an easy-to-digest form. Such things as that essential personnel on a nineteenth-century sailing ship include carpenters (perhaps the equivalent of today’s engineers); the staggering amount and variety of provisions such a ship would need to set sail, including copious quantities of alcohol, hot air balloons, replacement clothing and footwear, dogs, sleds, tents and much more; the dangers that might be faced (the ship being crushed by ice; scurvy due to lack of fresh fruit; attack by Polar bears; frostbite; falling into crevasses; and that, strangely enough, starvation was probably less likely that some other perils).
While the absence of quotation marks for dialogue may be irritating at first, as the story absorbs the attention of the reader it becomes barely noticeable. A basic knowledge of marine terms is certainly helpful but not essential. Morgan is a complex man who seems torn between patriotic duty and familial responsibility. The mother of his child is a woman whose motivation is, at first, difficult character to understand. The most appealing character is DeHaven, in particular for his regular displays of dry wit, which lift many moments where the subject matter is grave or solemn. James gives the reader some wonderfully evocative prose: “Below them the sea turned in its sleep, the waves boiled over like milk and sizzled on the shore” is but one example. This novel has been described as powerful and compelling, adjectives that are certainly apt. A brilliant read.