Customer Reviews

In the Wake of the Boatman

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
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In November 1942, Helen Steward gives birth to her second child, Puttnum. His father Carl is in a dark mood with the events of WWII and his bad knee keeping him out of the service; something a man's man like him cannot accept. He thinks his son would be better off dead and considers saving Puttnum from life's disappointments by breaking his neck.

That paternal attitude stays with Putt as he does well at his high school studies, but is filled with anger; his arrest affirms his father's opinion that his only male offspring is a loser. The teen obtains an ROTC scholarship to attend the University of Virginia where he has an interlude with his cadet commander, which leaves Putt struggling with his identity. Graduating from college, Putt puts on women's attire; he feels guilt, fear and euphoria. To prove he is a man's man, he volunteers for Viet Nam where he becomes a decorated hero. Back home, he is recruited to infiltrate a stateside Russian espionage ring, afterward the media and the military make him an American hero forcing him to hide even deeper his desire to wear women's clothing. Whereas his father and brother-in-law (another man's man) agree Putt is a loser, his older sister thinks otherwise though she knows something disturbs him turning him angrier and colder.

This is a deep psychological character study in which the relationship between father and son is based on what a man is. Carl feels his son is a wimp in spite of his service record and spy endeavors; though that is a psychological defense mechanism as his offspring accomplishes what he wanted to do. Putt is a fascinating character as he struggles with his unholy desire to wear women's clothing by acting cold. IN THE WAKE OF THE BOATMAN is an intriguing psychological drama that looks deep inside the tormented soul of a man whose solo reason for living is trying to win his father's affection despite decades of failure to achieve his objective.

Harriet Klausner

This story takes the reader through the emotionally & physically tattered life of Puttnum (Putt) from infancy to nearly middle age. While he bears many emotional scars due to his impossible relationship with his Father and the deep envy of his sister, he also achieves a good deal of glory and success even though he feels unable to acknowledge it.

I really enjoyed this story. The main character is likable and the reader will feel compelled to sympathize with his various plights. Just when you feel as though Putt has become too callous and cold to understand, a deeper side of him emerges. The author introduces his embarrassing yet undeniable passion and we also meet someone for whom he has great passion and love. Both of these loves are gripping plot twists in the book, and for the first time, as a reader, I sense that Putt truly feels "alive."

The book is a combination of highs and lows that will thrill, entertain, and perplex the reader - yet it is in no way predictable. I highly recommend this book.

This is a wonderful novel, fraught with symbolism and deep psychological overtones, as the main protagonist grapples with his demons in a frustrating attempt to determine who he really is. Extolling the value of forgiveness, or how the lack thereof keeps one stuck, this is a tale of a young man from a dysfunctional family, who struggles valiantly to pardon his inept but very human father and forgive himself for the real and imagined embarrassments and shameful thoughts that are merely a part of the human condition. Because of his own internal self-judgments and sense of what he thinks he should be doing, thinking and feeling, the young man in question has great difficulty in accepting himself for what he views are his own hideous imperfections.

It is quite sad to note that the major part of this man's guilt and shame stems from the societal prejudice and internalized transphobic feelings that exist and are directed against such individuals, particularly males, who have so little outlet to express their feminine side. Over the years, I've learned that we remain trapped in the mire of what we cannot communicate. This story is an example of such a stuck and incapacitated fellow, a man who is wallowing in his hidden secrets, creating a fictitious and disingenuous self in an attempt to become a person who is acceptable by society's standards. In so doing, it is impossible for him to see his own heroism and value is a human being as he internalizes his own shameful feelings. The end result is that he manifests severe adjustment difficulties, sabotages his loving relationships, engages in potentially self-destructive behavior and displays secret, guilt-ridden fetishistic transvestism.

In fact, the intensity of the guilt and shame this man experiences is so great he cannot tell anyone, not even his best friend, about the gender dysphoric feelings that are slowly destroying him. He cannot exist in a successful intimate relationship because he is too ashamed of his inner voices. Instead, he contemplates suicide and often escapes into his own fantasy world, where he can become the woman of his dreams, free of the pressures he has created for himself. His only hope is that one day his true self will emerge and he will turn his life around. In the end, I think the author has pointed him in that direction.

3.5 out of 5: In the Wake of the Boatman begins with Puttnam Douglas Steward's birth in November 1942 and continues for several decades, charting Putt's tortuous path towards self-awareness. Along the way, Putt confronts a dizzying array of issues: father/son friction, homosexuality, transsexuality, war, alcoholism, death, loneliness, friendship, and romantic angst. This novel fully embraces its ambitious scope, including the ambiguity and loose ends that accompany any complicated life. Although his supporting cast is generally weak and often clichéd, Putt is a complex, realistic protagonist with enough emotional gravity to bind together this book's sprawling pieces.

Generally, In the Wake of the Batman is beautifully written, filled with lyrical and well-paced prose. At times, however, too many overwrought similes disrupt the flow. This is particularly apparent in the landscape descriptions (e.g., stars in the night sky are "like a light bulb shielded by a colander" and oaks look "like straight, single bristles on the curve of a well-shaven cheek"). Although In the Wake of the Boatman would have benefited from the killing of such darlings, it remains a nuanced and worthwhile portrait of a life struggling towards fulfillment.

I've been thinking about this book since finishing it earlier in the week; haunting and complex, In the Wake of the Boatman was so much more than I anticipated.

Why is it that some talented authors never seem to garner the attention that they deserve? Jonathon Scott Fuqua has written several award-winning novels but despite the literary acclaim, I'd never heard of him until I read his most recent novel. After finishing In the Wake of the Boatman, I'm eager to read and review his other works.

A son's troubled and turbulent relationship with his father and his struggle to reconcile his gender conflict, In the Wake of the Boatman examines the most basic and enduring themes of the family dynamic while highlighting a secret internal conflict.

The novel follows the life of Puttnam Steward, only son and second child of Carl and Helen Steward. From birth, Puttnam's presence, and later his childhood and teenage actions, cast a pall on the family.

His sister is the light to his dark, the saint to his sinner. Fuqua's repeated use of light imagery when describing her "...Mary was radiant as ever...a beacon amongst the hugging hordes...", created an ethereal character whose name suggested divinity.

The relationship between father and son is mired in disappointment, competition, and resentment. Carl can't relate to his son on any level and feels that Puttnam intentionally antagonizes him.

Puttnam finds success where his father failed-at college and in the military. Not only does Puttnam graduate from the school his father failed out of, but Putt also sees almost three tours of duty in Vietnam and is a decorated war hero, while his father failed three physicals that prevented him from going to war. Putt goes on to help break up an espionage ring, becoming a national hero and media darling. The public acclaim and adoration isolate him further.

Symbolism and nautical imagery is rife in the novel-Carl's fruitless attempts to build a sea-worthy boat could be interpreted as his failed efforts as a father to his son; the family name, Steward, has a nautical connotation-a person aboard a boat responsible for the comfort and care of the passengers (which the patriarch of this family isn't able to provide), and a major plot event occurs on the water.

Father, son, and son-in-law (Mary's husband) also share a history of leg injuries, limps, knees that lock up, crutches, and canes suggesting an inability to physically stand up on their own feet and deal with their respective issues.

Ultimately, Puttnam must come to terms with himself, his family relationships, and his future. Fuqua avoids wrapping the novel up with a tidy ending, which I think only adds to his strength as an author.

In the Wake of the Boatman has so much to offer and I hope others will be inspired to read this novel.

--Nat @ Book, Line, and Sinker

6.26.09