The Voyager: Review
By Sioph LealThe Voyager by Paul Carlucci is set in the 1830s, following a motherless stockboy called Alex as he desperately waits for his father to return from France. Serge, a drunken fur trader promises him food and safety in return for his friendship, but an expedition into the forest quickly goes awry. Alex must learn to find his own way in a world where taking advantage of others becomes second nature, possibly at the cost of his own humanity. Set on the margins of British North America, Alex finds out that kindness can be a costly thing and the real wilderness of the world could be in the deceptive hearts of men.
With The Voyager being Carlucci’s debut novel, he manages to paint a vivid portrayal of the 1830s setting, allowing readers to feel as if they have stepped back in time to experience the harshness of what life might have been like in 1830s British North America. The attention to detail with the world is what sets Carlucci’s book apart from others in a similar genre, without shying away from the brutality of the world in the 1830s.
Describing the world of a book and the environment in which a character finds himself can make or break a book. Some authors depend on too much description, hindering the reader's imagination but Carlucci finds a way to perfectly balance his descriptions while avoiding the reader being too overwhelmed by this. Things such as the descriptions of physical wounds, the gritty realistic description of the world draw the reader into the world without explanation and allow the reader's emotions to be at the forefront as they read The Voyager.
As well as the vivid atmosphere that Carlucci creates, readers will enjoy accompanying Alex on his journey as he grapples with the moral dilemmas of the world while trying to navigate it. Alex is taken advantage of by various characters due to his innocence, but it is not in a way that will frustrate readers. Instead, Alex grows with the story and the environment, granting readers to relate to him during his difficulties. It would have been incredibly easy for Carlucci to make Alex’s innocence almost his naivety, but instead Alex is a character that learns from the world while learning his own limits to such a cruel environment.
The Voyager is an interesting debut novel and given how Carlucci can transport a reader with his descriptive prose will have them eagerly awaiting his next release. It’s a thought provoking novel with themes around deception and moral ambiguity told through a boy’s journey that is a clear recommendation for those who enjoy historical fiction.
The Voyager releases on April 18th 2024