Cracked by the convoys
Sailor's Heart, by Martin Campbell
Set
in the dark days of 1942, Martin Campbell's historical novel is about the lives of three seafarers fighting for their country in the Arctic Convoys. Cracking under the intense pressure, they are sent for experimental treatment at Kielder so that they can be returned to battle.
Campbell's novel goes into the suffering of people pushed past breaking point, and the work of psychiatrists expected to 'repair' those who are seen not so much as human beings but faulty parts in the war machine. The main characters are fictional, but the background is all real – and dark. Not a novel for the faint-hearted, but certainly for those interested in a compelling and neglected part of maritime history.
Sailor's Heart
By Martin Campbell
Self-published, £11.95 (available in the Nautilus Bookshop)
ISBN: 979 15272 54824
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