The North Line

Even at the ragged edge of civilisation, some lines should not be crossed. Everyone believes Adam to be something he´s not. Sometimes that´s because he´s told them a story. Sometimes he´s told himself one. But when Adam joins an Alaskan fishing crew that´s promising quick money, the dangerous work and harsh lifestyle strip away all fabrications and force a dark-hearted exploration of who he really is. On the unforgiving Bering Sea, Adam finds the adventure and authenticity of a fisherman´s life revelatory. The labour required to seize bounty from the ocean invigorates him, and the often crude comradery accompanies a welcome, hard-earned wisdom. But when a strike threatens the entire season and violence stalks the waves, Adam is thrust into a struggle for survival at the edge of the world, where evolutionary and social forces collide for outcomes beyond anyone´s control. In his riveting debut novel, Matt Riordan pairs personal experiences with a master storyteller´s eye in a piercing examination of the quest for identity in the face of tempests within and without.