Night Ship is a very creative and vivid juxtaposition of two timelines -- a 1600's Dutch sailing ship, and the 1980's Western Australia community new where the ship wrecked.

Both timelines feature kids who are forced to grapple with issues of identity and real or imagined monsters way ahead of their time; while also navigating the eccentric adults on which they depend that serve as unreliable recipients of their affection and trust.

Very creative and vivid..

I love historical fiction and even more so when it based on a true story. This book is the story of 2 children whose lives are 300 years apart but still seem to mirror each other in many ways including the island they each end up on. Very interesting story and amazing how parallel.

Eh. It was alright. Not my favorite of Kidd’s work but it still had a nice voice to it and interesting prose. There were times when I felt invested but overall I have a hard time getting into a book with only children POVs when the story itself isn’t juvenile. The time spent on the monster in particular I had to push myself through because I really just wanted more information from the adults about what was happening in reality.

I would recommend other books from this author before this one (particularly Himself or Things in Jars) but I will keep reading their books in the future for sure.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Two children, three hundred years between them, one intersection connecting them all.

This was a fascinating read from beginning to end. The characters were beautiful - connected by deep emotions like grief and trauma, their stories intertwined in such a powerful way. What I also enjoy is learning things from a book, I can truly appreciate that the experience was not only an escape but one that I can walk away from with some growth. In this case, the cultures of both dutch and Australian folklore as well as actual history of the shipwreck of the Batavia.

While this was an entirely enjoyable read throughout, the pacing is not my usual preference. It's a book that is meant to be savored, to truly appreciate the beauty of the characters, story, and culture embedded within.

Would highly recommend for those who love to get lost inside the story and let it take you on an emotional and fantastical journey.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a beautiful historical fiction. I had high hopes for this book, as I have previously read Things in Jars, and Himself, by the author and loved both. This book highlights social class and the brutalities of this period. It shows how far survival of the fittest one person will keep pushing for and try to persevere through. The story's imagery and the characters literally made my jaw drop at times.

Highly recommend this one to anyone who loves an enh=grossing historical fiction, mixed with a touch of magical realism and a dash of fantasy,

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review—my thanks to Atria for the opportunity to read this beautiful story.

The Night Ship, the two parallel stories of Mayken and Gil, eventually will connect making this book even more magical and very different that any story you have ever read before.

The Night Ship is not your typical story, it has many supernatural elements that will keep you hooked on your chair and will make you want to keep reading until the next page. it is the story of a ship that transpired in Batavia in 1629. A ship has sail carrying women, children, and an orphan to unknown waters and destinations, as well as new experiences that soon will bring tragedy.

Maykens mother has recently died and he finds himself all alone in this world, at such a young age, he is left alone to fend for himself and all the tragedies this world could bring. A similar situation is happening in 1989 with Gil.

Gil was a 9 years old boy living with his grandfather, on an island far away from anything he used to know, his grandad enjoyed telling him stories about a ship (ghost ship) that used to sail in different waters and times, the story of a boy who lives the same burdens and tragedies as Gil.

Gil lost his mother at such a young age, it was something a young boy should never go through or even could imagine going through but life brought him here and now he is ready to grow and live.

Two similar stories happen at different times and ages, two boys at the same age suffering from the loss of their mother and living the horrors of life.

This was a heartbreaking story it really made me feel all the emotions that I ever had, making it even harder to write this review because I really don't know how to say this was a great book but at the same time, it was heartbreaking.

I really enjoyed it so much.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the advanced copy of The Night Ship in exchange for my honest review.

What an incredible journey through time. I love how the past is never forgotten, only something to be discovered years later by a person meant to discover it. Wonderful. Worth all the praise it has been given.

This is not a novel I will soon forget. It was heartbreaking but captured me entirely. I loved the characters.
Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Really enjoyed Jess Kidd's second novel, The Night Ship. A beautiful historical novel following 2 different timelines from a child's perspective.

This was a fascinating pair of tales and very in keeping with the darkly whimsical style I expect from Jess Kidd. This books follows two nine year old children, Mayken and Gil. Mayken is on a ship in 1629 sailing around the world to move to Australia, Gil is learning how to adapt to life with his grandfather on a somewhat remote fishing island.

Kidd writes from the perspectives of these two children masterfully, the perspective enables her to insert the magical elements in a seamless and haunting way.

Beware, there is an act of senseless cruelty to an animal, and also a lot of cruelty to various human characters as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!!

I read this because I liked Things in Jars (sort of). I thought this felt like a second book. It was very wordy and oftentimes slow. I finished and it and may give this author a third try on their next book, but it depends on the subject matter.

The true story based on the sinking of a Dutch ship. The story has two time lines, and travels between them quite effortlessly. However, The story from the 1600's was more compelling, Enjoyable read

This is a work of fiction based on a true story. It had duel timelines and seems to transition between the two smoothly. 1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia, and the more modern line has to do with a young orphan sent to live with his grandfather among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck…
The legend of a ghost haunting a reef by the island is explored. And the connection is about young Mayken. I enjoyed the story, the insight of the islanders and the scientific community on the island was so dynamic. I’ve read this author’s previous works and liked her style.

The Night Ship is a heavy read, with some truly awful scenes and gore. It was interesting historical read, but the darker side of humanity was a challenge throughout the story. Its many characters were tough to keep track too.

Not a favorite in the genre I love to read.

Thank you Atria Books for the complimentary copy of this novel.

I'm always a bit hesitant to read stories told from a child's perspective, but not even the innocence of young eyes can hide the sinister nature of this story. This story is imbued with darkness from page one, like a mist hiding sharp corners and gloomy pathways.

But what makes this novel really shine is how Mayken and Gil's stories weave together. Kidd plays with narrative structure to enhance their connection, allowing them to slowly circle each other as the novel reaches its lethal crescendo. A propulsive, dramatic, heartrending story, but also so full of love that even in its darkest moments, there is a tender light guiding the way. Kidd explores loyalty, betrayal, and power in the face of disaster, wondering how we might choose to live when faced with impossible circumstances.

Amazingly written novel that shared a story from a tragic piece of history. I had never heard of this shipwreck prior to reading. I love being able to learn about history through historical fiction.

Jess Kid's writing is jarring and at times, harsh. Not in a sense of her wording but how they formulate to create a story. Her style works perfectly in The Night Ship as it tells the story of orphan Mayken, sailing for a new home, and the story of Gil, the boy who lived hundreds of years later. The way their story twists and weaves will leave you stunned.

Loved it. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an e-ARC.

This book didn't grab my attention the way that I have hoped. I heard a lot of good things so it's probably just me, but it ended up in the DNF pile.

"“Come.” John Pinten turns and puts his palm against the hull. “Do as I do.”
Mayken crawls forward and puts her palm next to his, flat against the planks. She sees how much smaller and cleaner her hand is. Too clean for a cabin boy. But John Pinten doesn’t seem to notice.
“She’s all that lies between us and the deep dark fathoms of the sea.” John Pinten’s voice grows quiet, grave. “Can you feel the ocean pulling at the nail heads, pressing against the planks, prizing the caulking? The water wants in.”'
--------------------------------------
"Old superstitions are rife now. The sailors lead the way. Words must be chanted over knots. Messmates must be served in a particular order. A change of wind direction must be greeted. Portents are looked for and translated. The cut of the wake noted. The shape of clouds debated...A lamp taken down into the hold will now burn green. Monstrous births plague the onboard animals. Their issue is hastily thrown overboard to prevent alarm. Eyeless lambs. Mouthless piglets. A litter of rabbits joined together, a mass of heads and limbs. The gardener harvests fork-tailed carrots from his boxed plot outside the hen coop.
“It’s the way of long journeys,” says Creesje. “They alter what people think and see.”"

1628 - Mayken van der Heuvel heads out on a long, exciting, but very dangerous adventure. She is setting sail on the grandest ship of the era, the Batavia, to a place by the same name, the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Well, in 1628, anyway. Today, we know it as Jakarta, Indonesia. Her journey is not being undertaken by choice, though. Mayken’s mother died giving birth to a child not her husband’s. The girl is being sent to her father, accompanied by a nursemaid, the kindly, but very superstitious, Imke. Mayken is nine years old.

"There are many layers to this child: undergarments, middle garments, and top garments. Mayken is made of pale skin and small white teeth and fine fair hair and linen and lace and wool and leather. There are treasures sewn into the seams of her clothing, small and valuable, like her.
Mayken has a father she’s never met. Her father is a merchant who lives in a distant land where the midday sun is fierce enough to melt a Dutch child."

We follow Mayken’s adventures on this months-long journey across the world. But we know from the beginning that the ship will not complete its trip.

1989 - A nine-year-old boy has just endured a journey of his own.

"Gil is made of pale skin and red hair and thrifted clothes. His shoes, worn down on the outsides, lend an awkward camber to his walk. Old ladies like him, they think he’s old-fashioned. Truck drivers like him because he takes an interest in their rigs. Everyone else finds him weird."

He never knew his father, and Mom kept them on the move all of his brief life, until her death. Gil has been sent to live with his crusty fisherman grandfather, Joss. To the place off the west coast of Australia where the off-course Batavia met its inglorious end. Researchers have been retrieving bits of the ship and its contents. The island is said to be haunted by the spirit of a young girl, Little May.

Kidd learned about the Batavia while casting about for a subject for her next novel. I will leave you to explore the real-life story here in Wikipedia and in the Sea Museum site.

Mayken and Gil’s stories are told in alternating chapters. The duration of their experiences, however, is not the same. Mayken’s time on the Batavia is considerably longer than Gil’s, on what is now Beacon Island. Kidd handles this disparity well, so that difference is not obvious.

Mayken is a particularly curious and adventurous little girl, exploring and experiencing the ship with a range of partners, despite her caretakers preferring for her to be a demure, proper young lady. She has a talent for gaining trust and affection from those around her, both children and adults. It comes in handy. Being a child, she carries some odd notions with her, and is susceptible to things that challenge credulity. She is convinced that there is a mythical beast in the deep hold of the ship. (The eel creature was an ancient monster and foe of all humankind. Its name was Bullebak.) Is the evidence she spies of its existence sharp perception or childish imagination? Being the child of a wealthy household, she gains a lot more latitude from those in charge than a street urchin might, which allows her to get away with slipping away from the “Above World” of the deck and passengers to the “Below World” where the crew lives and works.

Gil is a lonely boy, who has seen little stability in his life, and more than his share of horror. Grandpa Joss is less than welcoming, (Gil’s mother had not exactly been a model daughter.) wants him to become a fisherman like him, an occupation to which Gil is ill-suited and strongly opposed. He finds a friend or two. Silvia, the young wife of an older fisherman (and hated rival to his grandfather) takes him under her wing. Dutch, an older deckhand, takes an interest in him as well. In addition, Gil acquires a companion of a different sort, Enkidu, a tortoise named for a bff from ancient literature.

There are challenges to survival for both Mayken and Gil, not just their initial de-parenting trauma and grief. In fact there is enough mirroring of their experiences for a carnival fun house. Both are, effectively, orphaned only children, with dead mothers and absent fathers, sent to live with relations after the death of their mothers. Both explore strange new places, with the assistance of those more familiar. Both have a belief in the reality of supposedly mythical beings, finding it easier to seek explanations for the world in cultural fantasies than in the awfulness of the humans around them. (The shadow-monster darkens and becomes solid. It is terrible. Slime slicks and drips over ancient barnacled scales. Eyes, luminous and bulging. Gills rattling venomously. A great, festering eel-king.) It is called a Bunyip.

Both are outsiders, in peril from people in their community. There is plenty more. But both come into possession of a stone with a hole in it, that is supposed to have special properties, a witch-stone, or hag-stone. The very same one. It is a link across three hundred sixty years, connecting their parallel experiences. As children, neither has control over much of anything, so they are both at the mercy of the adults around them, not all of whom are benign. With limited immediate familial resources, they are trying to create a kind of family for themselves.

One of the wonderful things about this novel is the view we get of a lengthy ocean voyage in the 17th century.

"The physical research helped. “Bumping my head about 400 times as I walked around the ‘Batavia’ replica, it really helped to get a physical sense of the life. The same with the island, walking around and seeing the barrenness and feeling the elements.” - from The Bookseller interview

The demise of the ship is terrifying, but not so much as the demise of civilization that follows for the survivors. Existential threats abound in 1989 as well, for Gil and others.

There are many compelling secondary characters. Several on the ship stand out, a soldier, John Pinten, the ship’s doctor, Aris Jansz, Holdfast, a denizen of the rigging, who snatches Mayken up. Imke the nursemaid is a fun addition, and Creesje, who looks to help Mayken going forward, is a warm, nurturing presence. Those surrounding Gil are likewise interesting. Gil’s colorful grandfather, Joss, goes through some changes. Dutch is a warm force, as is a researcher, on the island looking into the wreck.

While Mayken and Gil are entirely fictional, Kidd has populated her story with many of the actual people who were on the Batavia. The presence of those historical personages gives the events that take place in the novel even greater heft. The kids are very nicely drawn, and will engage your interest and sympathy.

Tension ratchets up for both Mayken and Gil. While we know the fate of the Batavia, we do not know the fate of all those she carried.

Unlike in her previous book, Things in Jars, which dealt very considerably with things fantastical, the unreality of the creatures May and Gil perceive is much more subtle. The creatures both claim to be real may or may not be. But both creatures serve admirably as metaphors for the awfulness of humanity.

While this may not be the best possible choice for reading on a ship-based vacation, it is a moving and fascinating read for landlubbers. Kidd writes with the touch of the poet, adorning her compelling, moving story with sparkling descriptive finery, while offering us a child’s-eye view of the most remarkable ship of its time, and telling a tale of doom. Both Gil’s and Mayken’s stories are strong enough masts to have sailed alone, but together they make a weatherly craft and catch a strong wind, easily speeding past potential story-telling shoals.

"“How do you describe dread, Gil? That’s what the bunyip is: an attempt to give fear a shape.”
Gil thinks on this.
“Everyone’s fear looks different,” Birgit continues. “So everyone’s creature looks different. But they all eat crayfish, women, and children. That seems to be universal.”
“They’re just warnings for kids. Not to play near water or talk to strangers.”"

Review posted – December 16, 2022

Publication date – October 18, 2022


I received an ARE of The Night Ship from Atria in return for a fair review, and a small, ancient piece of (maybe) bone, recently dug up in our back yard. Thanks, folks.

For the full review, with links and images, please head on over to my site:
https://cootsreviews.com/2022/12/16/the-night-ship-by-jess-kidd/

In 1628, Mayken, the child of a wealthy Dutch merchant, sets sail on the Batavia to join her father in the Spice Islands after the death of her mother. She is accompanied by her nursemaid, Imke, but Imke being ill from the beginning of the voyage, Mayken soon has the run of the upper ship. Dressed in raggedy boys’ breeches, she also sometimes explores the depths of the ship.

In 1989, young Gil has gone to live on an island in the Indian Ocean with his fisherman grandfather after his mother’s death. Gil’s mother and her father Joss had been estranged, and Joss doesn’t seem happy to have him. The island is inhabited by fishermen who only live there during the fishing season and by archaeologists exploring the site of the sinking of the Batavia. There are rumors that the island is haunted by a girl who died after the shipwreck.

This novel is utterly fascinating. Kidd does a great job with her characters, especially the enchanting Mayken. The story of the Batavia, an actual shipwreck, is gut-wrenching, but Kidd makes her more modern story almost as interesting. This book is great.