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
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