- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Random House of Canada Ltd (24 Feb 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679311467
- ISBN-13: 978-0679311461
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 2.4 cm
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More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In The Stowaway, Robert Hough has written a multi-layered page-turner. Like hopping a train, stowing away seems like a notion of a bygone era, never mind an unlikely idea for a suspense-filled novel dealing with themes of religion, politics, and moral responsibility. The story begins with the discovery of two Romanians aboard the container ship Maersk Dubai. Expecting, at worst, to be put to work, the unwanted passengers are instead set out on a flimsy raft to their almost certain doom. Aghast at the officers' decision, several crew members, including the Filipino chief bosun, Rodolfo Miguel, begin meeting in secret to plan their retaliation. The level of paranoia grows until an atmosphere of us-versus-them envelops the ship. And then, another stowaway is found.
In an almost reportorial style, Hough evokes the crew members' fears that, if their plans had been discovered, they could be the next victims set out to sea. Hough also interweaves the happenings aboard the Maersk Dubai with the story of the stowaway Pacepa--his flight across Europe, his experiences during the brutal Ceausescu regime--in a way that gives the thrilling adventure tale an emotional resonance. When, at last, Miguel and Pacepa are face-to-face, it's not their differences that matter but their similarities. "If only" thinks Miguel early on, "he was from a country that hadn't been ruined by a man and his shoe-loving wife. If only he hadn't been forced to go to sea." It's a wish that the stowaway might well have voiced himself. --Shawn Conner, Amazon.ca
Product Description
Suspenseful and engrossing, The Stowaway is not only an adventure story of the highest calibre, but also a meditation on the anarchic nature of life, experience and will.
On an overcast day in March, one day’s journey into the Atlantic, two Romanian stowaways are found hidden on board the container ship Maersk Dubai. To the horror of the Filipino crew, the Taiwanese officers order the pair to be set adrift on a flimsy raft. In the blink of an eye they are gone -- sucked beneath the enormous ship’s wake.
Weeks later, the ship’s bosun, Rodolfo Miguel, finds another man, frightened and hungry, hidden in the bowels of the ship. Instead of turning him over to the ship’s officers, he makes the courageous decision to hide the man, endangering not only himself but also his fellow sailors, who help him.
Miguel is a true sailor, at sea for more than half the year, miles from his wife and five children. The man he rescues is a nineteen-year-old Romanian named Daniel Pacepa, who is haunted by a violent past. The men have no shared language, but their mutual experiences of poverty, desperation -- and the will to live -- bind them together.
Excerpt from The Stowaway
To Rodolfo, it seems there is no passage of time -- not even the tiniest fraction of a second -- between the existence of the stowaways and the non-existence of the stowaways. They are there, and then, simply, they are not, the flimsy raft sucked under by the big ship’s wake. Rodolfo stands perfectly still, gaping not so much at the alacrity with which two men ceased to be, but at the impeccable ease with which evil appeared out of salty vapour, and claimed for itself the Maersk Dubai.
On an overcast day in March, one day’s journey into the Atlantic, two Romanian stowaways are found hidden on board the container ship Maersk Dubai. To the horror of the Filipino crew, the Taiwanese officers order the pair to be set adrift on a flimsy raft. In the blink of an eye they are gone -- sucked beneath the enormous ship’s wake.
Weeks later, the ship’s bosun, Rodolfo Miguel, finds another man, frightened and hungry, hidden in the bowels of the ship. Instead of turning him over to the ship’s officers, he makes the courageous decision to hide the man, endangering not only himself but also his fellow sailors, who help him.
Miguel is a true sailor, at sea for more than half the year, miles from his wife and five children. The man he rescues is a nineteen-year-old Romanian named Daniel Pacepa, who is haunted by a violent past. The men have no shared language, but their mutual experiences of poverty, desperation -- and the will to live -- bind them together.
Excerpt from The Stowaway
To Rodolfo, it seems there is no passage of time -- not even the tiniest fraction of a second -- between the existence of the stowaways and the non-existence of the stowaways. They are there, and then, simply, they are not, the flimsy raft sucked under by the big ship’s wake. Rodolfo stands perfectly still, gaping not so much at the alacrity with which two men ceased to be, but at the impeccable ease with which evil appeared out of salty vapour, and claimed for itself the Maersk Dubai.
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Powerful, moving story of immigrant struggles
16 Mar 2005
Format:Paperback
the Stowaway is a wonderful read. From the beginning of the book
you are captivated by the story of refugees trying to stuggle.
The refugees come from Romania and the author recreates their
world with shattering and terrifying detail. Interspersed with
the stories of refugees's struggle to make it to the west, are
the stories of a group of Filipino sailors who work on a large
carrier that is crossing the ocean from Spain to North America.
The story of the sailors held less interest to me as I was often
confused by their nautical roles. I am just not one for stories
about the sea. But there is so much tension and terror in this
great novel, that when the two worlds collide, you don't know what will happen and you fear for the worst. For this reader
the stregth of the novel is the depiction of the wonderful Romanian stowaways. Anyone who is interested in the life of
an immigrant and the horrors of the eastern european world under
communism, will find this story fascinating.
As an extra treat, the author provides an excellent afterword
to the book which describes the process he carried through to
complete this book. It is insightful and very helpful to read about the true adventures of the characters he bases his book
on. I have very high regard for this author and this novel.
It is a very informative, exciting and strongly persuasive read.
you are captivated by the story of refugees trying to stuggle.
The refugees come from Romania and the author recreates their
world with shattering and terrifying detail. Interspersed with
the stories of refugees's struggle to make it to the west, are
the stories of a group of Filipino sailors who work on a large
carrier that is crossing the ocean from Spain to North America.
The story of the sailors held less interest to me as I was often
confused by their nautical roles. I am just not one for stories
about the sea. But there is so much tension and terror in this
great novel, that when the two worlds collide, you don't know what will happen and you fear for the worst. For this reader
the stregth of the novel is the depiction of the wonderful Romanian stowaways. Anyone who is interested in the life of
an immigrant and the horrors of the eastern european world under
communism, will find this story fascinating.
As an extra treat, the author provides an excellent afterword
to the book which describes the process he carried through to
complete this book. It is insightful and very helpful to read about the true adventures of the characters he bases his book
on. I have very high regard for this author and this novel.
It is a very informative, exciting and strongly persuasive read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Brilliant and heart-rending
22 Feb 2005
Format:Hardcover
Robert Hough's "Stowaway" is a great literary accomplishment. It combines two unlikely storylines,the crew of an Atlantic cargo freighter and the travels of a pair of Romanian immigrants, to form a compelling and emotional story. The internal conflict of the sailors is made very real and vivid by Hough, and the interaction between the characters through a language barrier is nothing short of ingenious.
My personal favorite element of the novel is Hough's description of the decimated social and political landscape of Romania and neighboring European countries. His words leave a lingering impression on the reader, and inspired me to learn more about the history of Romania under the brutal reign of Ceausescu.
Also, the author's use of the present-tense in his narrative is an unusual and refreshing change of pace from the status quo.
My personal favorite element of the novel is Hough's description of the decimated social and political landscape of Romania and neighboring European countries. His words leave a lingering impression on the reader, and inspired me to learn more about the history of Romania under the brutal reign of Ceausescu.
Also, the author's use of the present-tense in his narrative is an unusual and refreshing change of pace from the status quo.
truth is harsher than fiction
29 Jun 2007
Format:Paperback
This books haunts me, as I have worked on ships in the merchant marine and find this story completely believeable. An "accident" or a disappearance aboard ship would simply be forgotten or ignored. It is a different world aboard ship and the distance between the officers and unlicensed seamen is vast, add to that different nationalities of the various groups and it is amazing. I was once on a ship with facists, communists and social democrats. This is a good read.
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