Quint

I, like many in my generation, watched the movie Jaws as a child. It had a resounding effect on me and I have watched it countless times since. It is, unarguably, one of the greatest films of all time. So, when I saw a copy of Quint on a table in Waterstones I knew I had to read it. I had not long since read Peter Benchley’s Jaws and felt it was fate.

The character of Quint, on paper and film, has to be one of the most memorable of all time. From his teeth grinding entrance in the film to his USS Indianapolis monologue, to his bloody demise, Quint is firmly in the psyche of popular culture.

So would Peter Launter be able to capture that character and bring the young version of the man to life? The short answer is yes, very much so.

The first thing that struck me was the style of the writing. Quint (of the film) spoke in short sentences and Launter ran with this idea, producing a modern book that evokes Ernest Hemingway. In fact, the setting and the subject matter all play into the idea that Hemingway could have written this book.

This is high praise and I would not give it lightly, it is well deserved. The pace of the book picks up in the second half but it never loses that reverent and introspective element that Hemingway so beautifully brings to his novels.

USS Indianapolis

Let’s talk about the Indianapolis. If you don’t know, it was the boat that delivered the atom bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. On the way back home it was hit by Japanese torpedoes and 900 men were stranded in the ocean with no hope of rescue (their mission was top secret).

In the end, around 300 were rescued, the other 600 succumbing to the effects of starvation, drinking sea water, madness, or shark attacks. Quint was on the boat and he famously recounts his experience in the film of Jaws, widely regarded as one of the best monologues in film history.

The descriptions Launter offers of this experience are harrowing. I am still struggling to shake the imagery from my mind. As far as depictions of PTSD go, this is wonderfully illustrated. Quint clearly cannot get away from his ordeal. Five days in the water with sharks and dead men haunting him for the rest of his life.

Read more on the Indianapolis on Wikipedia

This was a brave book to write, and Launter delivers the goods. It was worth the risk. I cannot recommend this book enough but please, don’t take it lightly. It may haunt you for a while afterwards. It certainly isn’t safe to go back into the water.

Charlotte Wood is a feminist and writer of the macabre and sinister. She reads horror, fantasy, classic literature and historical fiction (with a preference for history from a woman’s perspective).