Description: In 1845 young researcher Eliot Saxby is paid to go on an expedition to the Arctic to find the remains of the now-extinct Great Auk, a large flightless bird of mythical status. Eliot joins a hunting ship, but those aboard are not what they seem. Caught in the web of relationships on board, Eliot struggles to understand the motivations of the sociopathic Captain Sykes; the silent First Mate; the flamboyant, laudanum-addicted Bletchley; and Bletchley's beautiful but strange "cousin" Clara. As the ship moves further into the wilds of the Arctic Sea, Eliot clings to what he believes in, desperate to save Clara but irrevocably drawn back into a past that haunts him.
Brief description:
Jeremy Page's first novel, Salt, was short-listed for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book and the Jelf First Novel Award. He grew up in North Norfolk and has worked as a scriptwriter and editor for Film4 and the BBC.
Review Quotes:
"Page shapes a fascinating historical narrative and has moving insights into our sometimes-dubious relationship to the natural world."
-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "