At Sea... Before You

by Eduardo Neira

Here we have a series of picturesque narrations entwined within a drama which evokes the ambiance of "One Thousand and One Nights". Ships, seas, and voyages to faraway lands shape the vast and varied scenario of this novel which unfolds in the second half of the XX century, time when the last of the old mariner’s traditions finally seem to come to an end. Written by a seaman from an intimate perspective, it depicts those seamen’s lives and takes us with them in their unusual adventures around the world. From the solitude of his retirement, Alberto, an old sea captain who has just lost his wife, contemplatively watches a sunset when, suddenly, receives a strange visit that encourages him to keep on living. From then on, the ethereal visitor –his wife’s spirit- comes back every day at that same crepuscular time to accompany him. In each meeting, the old sea wolf narrates to her stories of his life at sea. Alberto returns to sea, on a sudden trip to India, captaining the same ship that took him, more than four decades earlier, on his first oceanic cruise. This trip, the last one of his life, takes him to a place where a totally unexpected outcome awaits him.

494 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2020

Reviews

[Don Johanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, beautifully told

I enjoyed this lively narrative, at times funny; other times, deeply spiritual. Great reading for travel fans or anyone interested in a life at sea.