The Watch That Ends The Night Review

Marta Johnston, Writer

This novel by Allan Wolf explores the popular historical event of the titanic in a way that is new and innovative. The book was published in 2011, nearly 100 years after the Titanic actually sank. By that time, the story of the infamous boat was widely known by many. Wolf gave the story a sort of new flare by involving the lives of the characters on the boat in the plot. The novel even goes as far as to include excerpts written from the perspective of the rats on the ship and even the iceberg that sank it.

The point of view by which the story is told from is traded off between characters of all backgrounds. The reader learns of the reasons why each character is on board the Titanic in the first place, and follows them in their journey on the boat. The lives of the characters also begin to intertwine. Several romances blossom, as well as multiple occurrences of hostility between characters.

As the figures on the boat are from a multitude of backgrounds, the style of the way that the story is written changes frequently, in the best way possible. The story from the perspective of the ship rat is told in short and concise phrases, resembling the way that a rat might think. The iceberg speaks with a sort of power and might, resembling the way that it appeared to those who saw it and is spoken of today.

Perhaps the most amazing part of the novel is the fact that the reader is fully aware of how it will end. The author purposefully foreshadows the inevitable fate of all of the people on the boat as he tells of events on board from the perspective of the captain and the watchman. Sly hints are included in regard to the matter that the boat is going to sink, but these subliminal messages slip the minds of the characters. Those reading, however, are fully aware of what will happen, and give full attention to every clue.