Paul Gerrard, the Cabin Boy
1867
When Paul Gerrard's family is ruined by a lawsuit engineered by the Devereux family, the once-privileged young man finds himself scrubbing the decks of the frigate Cerberus as a cabin boy. But fate has a cruel sense of humor: aboard the very same ship sails Gilbert Devereux, the spoiled son of the man who destroyed Paul's family. Amid gales and cannon fire, under the brutal eye of ship's discipline, Paul must navigate not only the treacherous waters of the Atlantic but the dangerous politics of class resentment and old grievances. Kingston paints a vivid picture of Victorian naval life in all its squalor and glory, where a boy's honor is tested by bullies and storms alike, and where patience may prove mightier than revenge. This is adventure with teeth: it remembers that growing up often means swallowing hard truths about the world and the people who populate it.
