A reviewer recently wrote of An Ocean Away.

"Peter Clarke brilliantly combines two conflicts—man versus man and man versus nature. Yet, it has a simple plot line about a young man hoping to find better fortune elsewhere, but the unpredictability of his fate during the voyage induces your curiosity. Even before William boards the ship, there are already intense scenes that pit William against his immediate vicinity and also that of his family. This novel is about the appalling yet hopeful experience of finding your luck in a big, scary world, and if this is what you like to read, An Ocean Away is the book for you. "