Published By: Bloomsbury
Pages: 352
Released On: 21/05/2026
How big must a man’s folly be, that it can cost him the whole of his life? As big as a ship; as big as an island.
1704: Alexander Selkirk, navigator of a buccaneering ship in the South Pacific Ocean, is abandoned by his crew on a deserted island. An intelligent yet disagreeable man, he surely only has himself to blame for this ignominious fate. It is undoubtedly his unbending inability to compromise or to abate his arrogance that has led to his exile. And yet, in the unforgiving fact of such stark desertion, explanations and reasons why become mere inconsequential quibbles. Selkirk must use his grit, tenacity and ingenuity to survive the harsh and unfamiliar landscape of the island.
But logistical necessities are only superficial and trials abound. As time stretches on – warped, flexing, immeasurable – the mental toll of isolation takes Selkirk to the brink of sanity, distorting his perception of reality. Now that he has only himself, who is this man who has never truly belonged?
****
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I haven’t read any of Francesca’s books before – although I do own a copy of Saltblood – so I had no expectations going into this.
I hadn’t heard of Alexander Selkirk before so it’s hard to know how much of this story is true but I did find his story fascinating. And I believe he inspired the story of Robinson Crusoe – another books I own but haven’t read. So it’ll be interesting to see the comparisons when I get round to reading that.
I am generally more of a fan of third-person narrative and this is first-person, which I’m not overly used to, but it worked here. This is the story of Selkirk now and Selkirk before, and I think it has a more personal connection between him and the reader by doing it in first person.
Francesca has created such a sense of space. This island…it becomes its own character. The heat, the rain, the animals, the inhospitable environment, the loneliness, the isolation, the danger – it’s all there and so well done.
Considering it’s a book in which most of it is set in one place with one character, it had the chance to be quite dull and boring, but it wasn’t, which was impressive. We get flashbacks, bits of his memory, which was an interesting way to tell his story.
It’s set at the start of the 1700s, which is not a period I read much about, and the historical detail she’s gone into is wonderful.
It does at times feel a bit slow, particularly at the start but I think that’s because of the limited plot or characters to actually converse. That’s not necessarily a negative because it seems quite in keeping with the overall atmosphere of the story.
I can confidently say that Saltblood will be moving up my TBR list now.
Books By Your Bedside 