The Night Ship by Jess Kidd - Historical Fiction Novel Based on Batavia Wreck - Paperback

Details. Condition: New. Format: Paperback. ISBN: 9781838856540. Publisher: Canongate Books. Age Range: Adult / 18+. Overview. The Night Ship is a sweeping, dual-timeline historical novel from Costa Award-winning author Jess Kidd, inspired by the true and harrowing story of the Batavia shipwreck of 1628. Weaving together the voice of a young girl aboard the doomed ship and a grieving boy nearly four centuries later, Kidd crafts an atmospheric, richly imagined saga of survival, memory and the sea. This brand new paperback edition is ideal for readers of literary and historical fiction seeking an unforgettable, character-driven story.. About the Book. In 1628, young Mayken boards the Batavia, one of the most magnificent ships of the Dutch East India Company, bound for the other side of the world. As she explores the vessel's hidden corners and forms unlikely friendships below deck, she senses something is deeply wrong aboard the ship — a wrongness that will erupt into one of history's most notorious maritime disasters. Three hundred and fifty years later, in 1989, a boy named Gil is sent to live with his taciturn grandfather on a remote fishing island off the coast of Australia, close to the reefs where the Batavia met her fate. Grieving his mother, Gil is drawn into the island's old secrets and into a mystery that echoes Mayken's story across the centuries. Told in Jess Kidd's lyrical prose, The Night Ship moves between these two timelines with tension and tenderness, building to a conclusion that ties past and present together. It is a novel about the darkness people carry, the stories that survive shipwrecks, and the resilience of children caught in events larger than themselves. Selected as a BBC Radio 2 and BBC Two Between the Covers book club pick, it stands as one of Kidd's most ambitious works, blending historical detail with emotional intimacy.. Gripping dual-timeline structure spanning 1628 and 1989. Based on the real historical wreck of the Batavia. Lyrical