The Stowaway: A Novel

by Robert Hough

Horrified when a pair of stowaways is sent to their deaths upon discovery, container ship bosun Rodolfo Miguel watches his crewmates split into opposing groups that are subsequently forced to come to terms with their actions. By the author of The Final Confession of Mabel Stark. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Canada

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 24, 2004

About the author

Toronto author, bon-vivant, family man, spelunking enthusiast. My seventh novel, The Marriage of Rose Camilleri, was published in November of 2021.

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was heart-breaking....even more so since it is based on a true story. It tells the story of 3 Romanian stowaways on a container ship and how the members of a Filipino crew deal with them. There are also flashbacks to Romania during Ceausescu's regime. It is well-written and thought-provoking.

[John Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel about an actual event that never really comes to life. The prose is rather basic and the details remain obscure, so it functions as neither engaging fiction or informative journalism.
The most interesting and suspenseful passages involve the main character's struggle to escape the desperation of post-Communist Romania.
The story unfolds in chapters that alternate between the dire circumstances in Europe and the ominous situation on board the supertanker Maersk Dubai.
There are large themes wiven through this story, specifically the toll on human lives paid by failed nations, but the chatacters involved are sketched so vaguely it is hard to understand the main question the best novels tackle: Why?
Man's inhumanity to fellow man is the theme. the reader is given the basics of what journalism answers, the who, what, where and when. But for the suspense at the heart of the plot-- what does this all mean and why?---- there are not enough details about the character's motivation to feel much more than a plodding dread.
Apparently the ocean is lawless. Rank is all that matters. Lives everywhere are disposable and redemption, like hope, are fallacies.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a good example of book jackets that mislead because I was led to believe that this would be a story about a Romanian stowaway, on board a cargo ship, being protected by a crew member. While that is true, it formed a very small part of the story, and only toward the end of the book. The bulk of the book revolved around other shipboard dramas, which didn’t particularly appeal to me, and the stowaway making his way across Europe from Romania to the Spanish port city of Algeciras, again, not very interesting. Frankly, I was hoping to learn more about the troubles of Romania that motivated the stowaway to risk so much, but there was almost nothing.

It wasn’t until I read the author’s Afterward that I fully realized how I had been duped. Hough was telling the true story of what happened on board the Maersk Dubai in 1996. In this he was successful, but that’s not what I expected or wanted to read about, and wouldn't have picked up the book otherwise.

[Tyler Dyck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based on the true story of three Romanian stowaways who were murdered aboard the Maersk Dubai in the mid-1990s, and one stowaway who, with the help of the crew, was kept hidden and survived the journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia. This book does well to capture the hardship experienced by those who fled Romania in search of a better life in the 1990s, as well as the suffering felt by those who choose to live a life at sea. I felt that this book could have been more enjoyable if the story did not jump between the intertwining narratives at the commencement of each chapter without some indication of a change in setting. It made the book hard to get in to and, at times, created confusion around what was happening and to whom. In the end, it was an interesting story and a moment in history worth sharing. I will be putting this book in my classroom library for students to enjoy.

[Janean Breault · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book I would have ever picked up myself. It’s short and set at sea, neither of which generally appeal to me. I was given the opportunity to read The Stowaway for a book club. I was reluctant to start, assuming it wouldn’t be for me, however once I started I could not put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed writing style and the inclusion of Daniel’s journey to the ship. Looking forward to discussing this story at our next meeting!

[Gail Baugniet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Story of Inhumane Treatment

Each scene allows the reader to experience the action and share the fear of a ship's crew helpless to save lives. Told from the viewpoint of eyewitnesses, harrowing events and emotional reactions unfold over an extended period at sea, where there is no possibility of escape.

[Sorin]

Hi never read book just to let you know the first 2 Romanian guys was my friends RIP Petre and Radu me and my friend we are the last to see them a life before getting on ship Maersk Dubai myself got lucky I left Algeciras Spain on Murch 22 -1997 with Bridget Maersk I wish I meet you before to share my story about my friends Petre and Radu RIP

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will tug at your heart strings. It has a wonderful opening and a truly honest look at how people become pushed to do certain things. I didn’t fully understand some of the more vicious actions in this book, but the characters had such powerful desires and dreams that I was rooting for them the whole way.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dragging at times but interesting account of the stowaways (both actual and fictitious) on the Maersk Dubai.

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but gripping, I could not put this down til I reached the end!

[Heather Onthehill · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was well written, but after starting with two really depressing chapters, I didn't want to read any further :(

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Purchased in 2005 and either didn't read or didn't finish.

[Sjors Venema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leuk boek!

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was rather disappointed in this novel as I'd previously enjoyed Hough's first titled: 'The Final Confession of Mabel Stark' which was a brilliant book. So perhaps my expectations were too high for this one.

From back cover:

"THE STOWAWAY is the engrossing adventure story of a Romanian stowaway on the container ship Maersk Dubai and the Filipino crewman who hides him and protects him from the ship's officers. The men share neither language nor history, but their common experience of having been driven to sea by their corrupt, broken countries binds them together. Full of heart-pounding tension and quiet courage, THE STOWAWAY explores the perils and mysteries of life on today's oceans, and exposes both the basest and most self-sacrificing sides of humanity."

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel based on a true story of a container ship with Taiwanese officers and Filipino crew that reveals Romanian stowaways from the port of Algeciras. The first 2 stowaways found by the Bosun (brave, moral, simple) who is resigned to hosting them to the next port and getting extra workers. When he takes them to the captain, he and the crew are horrified to find that they put the stowaways overboard on 2 barrels lashed together 90 km offshore. The story follows and I cried for the stowaways, the crew, Filipinos, Romanians, and all the unnecessary cruelty in the world. The author writes compassionately, masculinely, and realistically. It affected me – lives are changed through no direction or efforts by the characters; they had choices, but no control of their fates.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was another thrift store find. It has the author's signature in it and I am pretty sure the book had never been opened before me. Perhaps someone got it for free and didn't want it?
It's a sad tale of Romanian stowaways on a ship and how the treatment of them divides the men who work on the boat. I did not realize it was a true story until I read the afterword.
I didn't particularly enjoy this book, because it was just so full of despair. But the fact that it is a true story makes me appreciate it a little more. I will probably hang on to this book.

[Jen]

A few years ago, my NY resolution was to write down each book I read. This was the first of that year, and unfortunately, I couldn't remember anything about it until I looked it up! I didn't hate it, and I do remember enjoying the read, but I don't know if I can recommend it because I barely remember it. It is a book that I'd pick up if I hadn't read it, so...

[Richard Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent narrative. Fine details. Compelling story. You don't want to believe how it could be true. Something happened and now this talks about the very different people who were involved, ever afterwards. There is right and wrong. There is social justice-seeking, desperation, persecution, salvation. Truth-telling: Fr. Randy Albano was a family friend.

[Aaron Ritchey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, solid book with wonderful writing and a spotlight into a slice of life most people don't get to see. Inside a cargo ship, the drama, the desperation, the sadness, the courage. Very well done.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

editor: Anne Collins (Random House Canada)

[Foreign]

editor, Canada - Anne Collins

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frighteningly true.

[Julie Oakes]

This could be deemed a guy's read but it wasn't for it has such clear character portraits that I became engaged. It had the simplisity of Hemmingway but with a contemporary complexity.

[Malek]

i have to read it!!

[Tamara Doray]

An amazing read! I picked it up on a whim and was completely absorbed for the following three days. I absolutely loved everything about the universe and characters brought to life by Robert Hough, and will definitely keep an eye out for his books from now on!