The Ordinary Seaman
Francisco Goldman
(Reviewer - Coletta Ollerer)
1997 Atlantic Monthly Press
ISBN: 0871136716

A richly human story of abandonment, loss, betrayal, & the power of love in a modern fable about American's hidden immigrant culture.

Guest Reviewer Coletta Ollerer writes:

Esteban, a 19 year old former Sandanista guerrilla, decides to start a new life & signs on as an ordinary seaman on the ship, Urus, anchored at Brooklyn. Fourteen other Central American men do the same. Their hope is to return home with money in their pockets but instead they find themselves held hostage on the ship by virtue of their lack citizenship & withheld wages. Frustration & anger build while the deceitful Captain Elias leads them on. His friend & first mate, Mark is onto a dishonest get rich-quick scheme. The Central Americans are unaware of this & have no one to trust.

After many months, Esteban decides to leave the ship one night to investigate the neighborhood. “Esteban waits by the rail awhile after Cabezon has plodded chuckling off to his cabin. Then walks swiftly back to the foredeck, steps over the rail, and hangs on in a crouch, looking down between his legs at the rope emerging from the mooring pipe and the black water underneath and in one motion pushes off and grabs the rope to his chest as he falls and wraps his legs around it, finding a center of balance after a few scary lurches.” (p98)

He loves the feeling of freedom away from the ship at first but later comes upon some warehouses where he is able to steal food to bring back to the ship: frozen shrimp, blueberries, a side of beef. The others are very grateful for this addition to their meager menu of rice & sardines.

Bernardo, hired as the ship's waiter, is doing laundry on the dock one day when an elderly couple comes strolling along. The men have never seen people on the dock before. Bernardo decides to tell them of their plight & to ask for help.

When Bernardo receives severe burns after a cooking accident with spilled hot oil, the others do not know what to do. Elias & Mark are not around for days. The condition worsens & later Mark insists on taking Bernado to a hospital. Elias hears of it & tries to find where Bernardo is staying. He tells the crew that Bernardo has received treatment & was sent back home.

The old couple who had spoken to Bernardo went to the authorities & alerted them of the plight of the men. Eventually someone comes aboard & promises to take them to see a lawyer. He returns later with food & clothing.

The Ordinary Seaman is a tale of sailors marooned aboard ship amid privation & deception. It is remarkable for the strength of their spirit of survival.

More from Francisco Goldman: The Long Night of White Chickens
(06/06/04)

Coletta
2005©Coletta Ollerer
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I have always enjoyed writing. As a teenager I submitted to magazines like Seventeen, & was politely rejected. As a young mother, I had several poems published in The Chicago Tribune. Born in Chicago in 1932, I still live in the area. Since I retired, I have had some success on the Internet with my book reviews, stories & poetry. I enjoy historical fiction mostly, but will read anything uplifting, informative & fun. When I'm not reading & writing, I'm making jewelry, sewing needlepoint, & painting.