The Last Whaler
The Last Whaler transports the reader into the life of a whale hunter and his wife stranded during the dark season in the Svalbard archipelago surrounded by the Norwegian and Barents Seas. Far from the political upheavals in Europe during 1937-38, Tor Handeland and his wife, Astrid, are forced to seek refuge in a whaling station with no functioning communication with the outside world. The story is told through two voices, husband and wife. They delve into the problems at Svalbard, including isolation, lack of food, the dangers of hungry animals, and the bitter cold. Yet the horrific loss of their four-year-old son in a drowning accident causes untold turmoil in their marriage.
The descriptions of the land above Norway are exquisite. Astrid writes of the magnificent landscapes in her letter to her deceased son: “…there is life here. Birds by the hundreds gather on cliffs…bright yellow Arctic poppies wave their tiny flowers from delicate stalks…the water too quivers with life. Schools of herring and cods skim the surface. The sea whirls and bubbles, as if breathing…”
Tor writes about the challenges of his livelihood, and the importance of a good Beluga harvest to meet his family needs. He argues that animals exist exclusively for “our needs; only humans have souls.” Reeves has created an imaginative, thoughtful, and gripping story. For the most part, it moves at a good pace with tension and suspense.
