Kevin Sites is an award-winning journalist who published three nonfiction books using his expertise as a war correspondent prior to the release of this one, but this is his debut work of fiction. The novel follows Lukas Landon, a former war correspondent who takes a job aboard the shrimping trawler, Philomena, in order to write a piece about the crew. After a terrifying storm, Landon finds himself inside the vessel at the bottom of the ocean, fighting to stay alive within his little air pocket that developed around him when the ship overturned and sank.

Now, you may be thinking, “well, that sounds utterly preposterous!” While highly unlikely, this miraculous feat has been accomplished in real life. See this article from National Geographic about Harrison Okene, a Nigerian cook who survived 60 hours at the bottom of the sea in an air bubble in the bathroom of the capsized tugboat on which he was employed. In the novel, Landon actually alludes to Okene’s story as he attempts to figure out ways to survive his potential underwater tomb.

On the outside, this novel appears to be a thrilling story of survival. On the inside, it’s something much deeper than that. It is a deep-dive into the psyche of a tormented man forced to come to terms with his past as he’s faced with mortal danger. There’s something powerful about the concept of a man whose reaction to trauma was to isolate himself, pulling away from family and friends in order to fester within his own cocoon of self-loathing and fear, being forced into complete and utter physical isolation. As far as metaphors go, that one is pretty hard to miss. Honestly, the only truly negative reviews I saw as I perused ratings on goodreads came from people who obviously just wanted a standard thriller and had to read *gag* “literary fiction.” Well, Kevin and I don’t like you either and do not require your approval.

I jest, but I do realize that readers have their own tastes and I don’t begrudge someone their disappointments, but I was pleasantly surprised by how thought-provoking and emotional this novel wound up being. If that’s your jam and you don’t need a manly meat-head fighting his way to the surface by battling sharks with his bare hands, (looking at you, Statham) read this book. Landon is a strong character, full of complexity and flaws built upon years of hardship etching away aspects of his humanity, building fears in him that he’s not able to face until he’s forced. It may sound cliché, but it really does put into perspective the whole notion of not waiting until tomorrow to tackle fixing your head and your heart, because tomorrow is never a certainty.

Additionally, this book tackles a subject that often gets overlooked when we discuss the victims of war. There’s much focus on the soldier, but we neglect our care and compassion for the journalist, those who insert themselves into harms way unarmed save for their cameras and intellects, sacrificing their own peace of mind so that the world can see the things it should. We care because they cared enough to sacrifice of themselves in order to make the world a better, more informed place. And for that they suffer untold emotional and mental scarring, they are in constant physical peril, and they are sometimes dubbed “the enemy of the people” by their own uninformed and ignorant countrymen. Let me be clear, I DO begrudge those people of their ridiculous stupidity. Go hide in your bunkers where you play GI Joe against your imaginary boogie-men while the rest of us live in the real world.

The various characters on the periphery I enjoyed very much. Their stories all came together to paint such a diverse portrait of humanity, people with different worldviews and experiences who can come together and forge connections that strengthen each of them. Ultimately, this is about facing and embracing your past and sharing your truth. Even someone who communicates information for a living sometimes can’t effectively communicate with those they should, and Landon is the poster-boy. I think I’ll leave it here, as I will not issue spoilers, but this is definitely worthwhile. Oh, and I highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by Graham Halstead, who did an absolutely fabulous job bringing Lukas Landon to life. Overall, I give this one 4 stars. However, I can not yet forgive you for the emotional turmoil you have caused me in reading this book, Kevin. You know what you did. You are brilliant, but HOW DARE YOU!?

Published July 11, 2023 by HarperAudio and Blackstone Publishing. ISBN 9798212692601. Runtime 9 hrs, 52 mins. Narrated by Graham Halstead.