Book Review: The Fishing Widow by: Amy K Marshall

The Fishing Widow

Author: Amy K. Marshall

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Synopsis: There’s an old saying that goes: The difference between a fairy tale and a fisherman’s tale is this… a fairy tale begins, “Once Upon A Time,” and a fisherman’s tale begins, “This Ain’t No Bullshit.”

Supernatural terror stalks the crew of the purse seiner the F/V “The Case In Point” during the March 2010 Sitka Herring Sac Roe Fishery in Southeast Alaska. As the herring war intensifies, each boat is an island, and being alone can cost you everything. As the web spins from the depths, the past is not so distant; the lines between history and myth begin to blur. The forgotten horror surrounding the 1835 loss of the Nantucket whaler “The Covenant” threatens to overwhelm the present. One among the seven men aboard “The Case In Point” is unwittingly marked by a woman beautiful and cursed, who not only desperately needs his help, but needs, desperately, to tear out his heart and consume his crew.

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages.

Brought to you by TeamNerd reviewer Bridget Strahin

Review: I'm pretty sure that after reading this book, I'll never be able to get on another boat again. Seriously.

The Fishing Widow isn't a book you want to read at night or by yourself or in the middle of the ocean, or like anywhere that isn’t heavily populated. I'm not even joking when I tell ya'll that there were so many scenes that had me scared senseless! But I still kept coming back for more and more, because it was sooo good. *creepy laugh* and of course, any book that has a synopsis that starts off, "The difference between a fairy tale and a fisherman's tale is this: a fairy tale begins "Once Upon a Time," while a fisherman's tale begins "This Ain't No Bullshit." You just know it's going to be good.

The story starts off with a young Ethan and Colin aboard the Fairweather, when trouble happens and they are instructed by their captain to go hope aboard an unresponsive ship to make sure everyone is okay. Colin gets the stranded ship to start up and Ethan goes in search for the crew. What Ethan finds is so scarring and traumatizing that he has a hard time coming to terms with it and is still haunted by what he saw years later.

Still here…

Four years later Colin and his wife buys a seiner and Colin and Ethan embark on their first fishing trip with a new crew and adorable dog named Cloudy. It doesn't take long for Ethan to start seeing and hearing things that he definitely shouldn't be hearing or seeing, like ghosts! Creepy evil ghosts coming out of the ocean, ripping through the seiner and coming through the radio. It was all so dang creepy and poor Ethan just couldn't catch a break.

Marshall does an amazing job describing every aspect of her world from the sea spray, the descriptions of the seiner, to Ethan and his crew fighting for their lives, to the language the characters use, and their relationships with each other. Ethan was my favorite character hands down. I loved how tough and brave he was but at the same time wasn't embarrassed to cry in front of his best friend or girl friend. He was such a great character that I could stay in his head all day and I loved his friendship with Colin. Those two had each other's backs no matter what came at them, which was one of the aspects of the story that made it work so well. I've never really given fisherman the credit they are owed and always just thought the people who want to go out in the ocean for weeks just to catch fish were crazy but Ethan and Colin have definitely given me a new appreciation for them.

Back to the language of the characters, there is a lot of cussing in this book. I, of course already speak fluent sailor, so I wasn't bothered by it, but not everyone feels the same. So if you're easily offended by four letter words then read with caution.

Overall, if you're looking for a dark and suspenseful read, that mixes old Alaskan fisherman legends with a fresh story line, than I would suggest The Fishing Widow. Amazing characters, amazing plot, there is no doubt in my mind that Marshall has what it takes to fall in line with Stephen King and I will definitely buy every book she writes.

 Author Bio: Amy K. Marshall has been an archaeologist, conservator, curator, archivist, wreck diver, Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race Project Coordinator, musical theater director, piano teacher, bassist in a B52s Tribute Band, small business owner, blogger on The Weather Underground, DJ, waitress, line chef, and editor. She is increasingly weirded-out by the tendency of writers to refer to themselves in the third person, so --

I hold a B.A. in Medieval History (this should explain the odd jobs thing) and an M.A. in Maritime History & Nautical Archaeology (this should explain the boat-stalker thing). Currently, I am the Library Director for the small fishing town of Craig on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. In 2011, I was featured in the video series LIBRARIES: A DIGITAL BRIDGE produced by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that demonstrated the potential for broadband connectivity in libraries. I continue to be a manic advocate for literacy in all its forms. I reside in Craig with my husband, two teenagers (this should explain the whole horror-writer thing), dark-fairy-hunting cat, and psychotic-but-sweet Border collie. "Let's Go Fishing" is just another way of saying

"I Love You."

Not half-bad for the girl who was born and abandoned in the Grover Bungalow Laundry Mat in Lawrence, Kansas in November of 1964. Hey, mom, thanks for the gift of life, and thanks for the compassion of the dime left behind.

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