A review by cherisereads
Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

4.0

“not everyone who survives trauma becomes a better person. The idea that surviving brings everyone to a new and better place is a lie told by people who need the world to make sense.”

One hundred and eighty years ago, the Pulaski Steamship exploded and sank in forty five minutes and dubbed the "Southern Titanic." Now the wreckage has finally been discovered and, historian Everly Winthrop has been tasked with finding out what happened on that fateful night. Who survived, how they survived and ultimately how that night shaped their future. With the help of diver Maddox and her long time friend Oliver. The trio set out to find the truth and delve into a very dark period of history.

This book was such an enthralling, captivating, extremely well written and poignant read. Though not my preferred genre I found myself incapable of putting this one down. I love how the story is told and how the book jumps between modern living to a much more harrowing way of life in the 1800s. The characters were well constructed well and really brought the book to life for me.

I was really pulled into this story and fed off the emotions of these characters. Their pain and loss was raw and could be felt pulsating through the pages of this book. I love how the book dives deep into trauma and how it ultimately shapes the person we become in the end. A perfect example of this is Charles and if you've read this book then you know.

The author also handles the subject of Slavery with tact and doesn't shy away from it. Can I I just say here, as a woman of colour I really appreciate the fact that she didn't use the dreaded N word. That was a breath of fresh air for me and deeply appreciated.

The journey that the author took us on with Everly, in search of the truth was an exciting one for the most part. I say for the most part because I did struggle to connect with her character at first. I found her to be a little self-absorbed at times. However, her character development was refreshing and made up for it in the end. There were also parts of this book that seemed to drag a little but, other than that it was a really good read. Very quotable and the author really did this real life tragedy justice with this book.