I have a feeling I’m late to the party (what else is new?) regarding this review of Dan Walsh’s historical fiction, The Deepest Waters. It was released in 2011, and if I hadn’t stumbled upon a rave review on Facebook, I wouldn’t have known the book (or the author) even existed. Thank you, faithful fan, for posting yours.
Before I delve into the reason for this post, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the incredible importance of reviews to authors. Even a rating without a written review is appreciated. There is a plethora of books available to avid readers, and unless our fans take a few minutes to recommend our book, we often get lost in the sea of choices.
So, speaking of the sea… (poor segue, I know), Dan Walsh’s book was inspired by the 1857 sinking of the steamship SS Central America in the Carolinas due to a hurricane. According to the author and many reviews, his novel is based on a true story. How true? I don’t know. There was a newlywed couple aboard the SS Central America, and the main characters in The Deepest Waters are a newlywed couple, but other than that, I could find no details.
The fact is, most historical fiction novels are inspired by true events—historical events, which is the point of the genre.
The book opens with the paragraph, “Yesterday, when it had become a certainty their ship would sink, Laura and John Foster held hands as they had on their wedding day three weeks ago, and made a vow: when that moment finally came they would leap into the sea together and slip beneath the waves. One quick inhale of water. It wouldn’t be suicide. God had already determined it to be their last day on earth.”
As you can see, the story opens up right smack in the middle of a catastrophe. As the women and children are rescued by another ship, the men are left to fend for themselves aboard the sinking SS Vandevere.
The story then proceeds to shift from Laura’s point of view on the rescue ship as she grapples with the grief of knowing her husband is dead, to John’s point of view as he clings to life (and a makeshift raft) along with several other men, praying for a miraculous rescue.
If it weren’t for the additional characters, such as Micah, an old slave aboard the ship, I would’ve struggled to stay with the story through the first half. Mr. Walsh weaves a beautiful faith message, which resonated with me. A reminder that our joy shouldn’t come from our circumstances but from what Jesus has already done for us on the cross.
The story picked up and took wings somewhere around the middle of the book. It was at this point that I had a hard time putting it down. By the time I came to the words, “The End,” I was ready to give it a raving five-star review.
Along with the strong faith thread throughout the story, the author also delved into slavery, class structure, and the simple (yet powerful) truth of the Gospel. There was mystery, suspense, romance, edge-of-the-seat drama, and, of course, history.
What more could a reader want? With over 5,000 Amazon reviews and a 4.7 rating, The Deepest Waters (Epic Journey Series Book 1) touched his fans and added at least one more to the list. I’m fixing to jump into Book 2.
It is available in paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.
