Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90377 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-03
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Synopsis
In 'Trawler', Redmond O'Hanlon describes his most dangerous journey yet - on a trawler sailing from Stromness to Greenland. Unable to fish the North Sea or Icelandic waters, captain Jason and his crew have to make ever longer and more dangerous journeys, in search of ever stranger fish.

Customer Reviews

A thought-provoking foray into the male mind
I gave away my first copy of 'Trawler' having read it twice in succession, and have made gifts of several more since. I recommend this book, not necessarily as a factual account of a trawler outing (of which I have no experience), but as an insight into the male mind; and what a strange place it is.

A truly motley crew populate an old trawler vessel past her best, in which each character has a role from the tender nursing of the old engine by the engineer to the paying of the mortgage by the captain. The tale encompasses not only their human story, but also some of the various absurdities encountered by the fishing industry. The ship 'Noratlantean' is a non-quota trawler, which means that the crew are obliged to dump any quota species they pick up, rather than being able to sell them to other boats with a shortfall in their catch. Another reviewer has commented that this boat and its crew are unknown in the Scottish trawler fishing fraternity. Whilst I cannot comment on whether the `Noratlantean' sails from a Scottish port, if this is fiction then I am puzzled as to why the author has included colour photographs of real people, annotated as various of the 'lads' from his story. If not factual, these characters are certainly 'real'.

If O'Hanlon has modified these fellows into archetypal examples, I will forgive him for this, because he brings insight to the male perspective of this most primeval situation. Perhaps the ship Noratlantean is herself also an archetype. I can imagine this group of males, and the phenomena which take place, on a Neolithic hunting foray. It encompasses many of the struggles of life, and the consequential dilemmas in the male mind. In this extreme environment where survival depends on group co-operation, we meet fierce competition for 'alpha' position, aggression provoked by personal feelings of inadequacy (deserved or otherwise), the interplay of a team under extreme pressure and sleep deprivation, the self-torture of the most dependable character Brian who is sustained in his work by thoughts of his wife and family but also has a crisis of confidence that he is too emotionally dependent upon them... In one exchange, the captain tackles O'Hanlon (representing an archetype of a modern liberal thinker) for emasculating the male role, for obliging men to behave in a more feminine way, and in so doing making forbidden the positive achievements of masculinity along with the less-desirable. It suggests that these men are no longer allowed to aspire to being 'heroes'. It suggests that modern culture and thought has not yet found a way to allow gender equality whilst affirming the diversity of gender roles. Just as women are now expected to have careers based on the male pattern (as well as being mothers), the male role has also not been explored and affirmed. Whether you agree or not with this perspective, it provokes thought and discussion, as well as being a compelling read.

Sick
Despite the fact that one gets the feeling that O'Hanlon is a terrible old big 'ead, it is compelling stuff. The serious points that are made about the British Government and its single-handed destruction of the industry should have those responsible hanging their heads in shame (sadly they are more likely to be in other non-jobs or hoovering up fat, taxpayer-funded pensions).
The early section where the author experiences mounting seasickness is a masterful piece of writing, which I had to abandon halfway through for fear that I would get trainsick for the first time in my life.

Vivid, fascinating and hilarious
If you've read other O'Hanlon books, you'll be familiar with his easy style, and his careful recording of not only the environment into which he has plunged, but also the effects on himself and his companions. In this case, the environment is both extreme and fascinating. Joining the crew of a North Sea trawler, he is expected to fall in with the rigours not only of Force 12 north Atlantic weather, but also the hard living, sleep-deprived community of fishermen. An excellent read.