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A review by samhouston
The Lobster Kings by Alexi Zentner
5.0
Alexi Zentner’s “The Lobster Kings,” an intriguing family saga told largely through the eyes of Cordelia Kings and Woody, her aging father, is so wonderfully constructed that readers will find it difficult to choose a stopping point between reading sessions.
Members of the King family have run things on Loosewood Island for almost three hundred years. It all started for the Kings when Brumfitt Kings made his way there from Ireland in 1720. Brumfitt would virtually live alone on Loosewood for eight years before he was rather mysteriously blessed by the arrival of his future wife. Their mythical marriage marked the beginning of a new American family that would, over time, become “the lobster kings” of the novel.
But now time is catching up with the Kings and, more importantly, it is catching up with the culture of the island itself. The island has become somewhat of a haven for drug smugglers and, perhaps even worse in the long run, lobstermen from a neighboring island have begun to encroach on Loosewood Island waters despite the gentleman’s agreement that had been peacefully in place for decades.
Woody, desperate to maintain the family’s hold on the island and to protect the only way of life they have ever known, does everything an old man can do to hold things together. But he is a man without a son to take the reins when his aging body begins to let him down, a weakness quickly recognized by those willing to fight Woody for what he considers his birthright. What Woody does have, however, is Cordelia, a daughter whom he sometimes tends to underrate as badly as his enemies underrate her.
“The Lobster Kings” is one of those stories that will leave readers thinking about its characters long after they have turned the book’s final page. The Kings might not be your typical American family, but the relationship between this father and daughter has plenty to teach the rest of us about life.
Don’t miss this one.
Members of the King family have run things on Loosewood Island for almost three hundred years. It all started for the Kings when Brumfitt Kings made his way there from Ireland in 1720. Brumfitt would virtually live alone on Loosewood for eight years before he was rather mysteriously blessed by the arrival of his future wife. Their mythical marriage marked the beginning of a new American family that would, over time, become “the lobster kings” of the novel.
But now time is catching up with the Kings and, more importantly, it is catching up with the culture of the island itself. The island has become somewhat of a haven for drug smugglers and, perhaps even worse in the long run, lobstermen from a neighboring island have begun to encroach on Loosewood Island waters despite the gentleman’s agreement that had been peacefully in place for decades.
Woody, desperate to maintain the family’s hold on the island and to protect the only way of life they have ever known, does everything an old man can do to hold things together. But he is a man without a son to take the reins when his aging body begins to let him down, a weakness quickly recognized by those willing to fight Woody for what he considers his birthright. What Woody does have, however, is Cordelia, a daughter whom he sometimes tends to underrate as badly as his enemies underrate her.
“The Lobster Kings” is one of those stories that will leave readers thinking about its characters long after they have turned the book’s final page. The Kings might not be your typical American family, but the relationship between this father and daughter has plenty to teach the rest of us about life.
Don’t miss this one.