Call Me Ishmaelle
books by Xiaolu Guo
Call Me Ishmaelle reimagines the epic battle between man and nature in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick from a female perspective.'Brilliantly written... ambitious, brave, strange' Philip Hoare‘A clever and original skewering of a classic’ i1843. Ishmaelle is born in a small village on the stormy Kent coast where she grows up swimming with dolphins. After her parents and infant sister die, her brother, Joseph, leaves to find work as a sailor. Abandoned and desperate for a life at sea, Ishmaelle disguises herself as a cabin boy and travels to New York.As the American Civil War breaks out in 1861, Ishmaelle boards the Nimrod, a whaling ship led by the obsessive Captain Seneca, a Black free man of heroic stature who is haunted by a tragic past. Here, she finds protectors in Polynesian harpooner,... The book’s thematic elements are woven seamlessly into the narrative, emerging naturally through character experiences. This integration prevents the story from feeling preachy, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. The story encourages reflection by presenting situations that resonate on a personal level. Rather than offering simple answers, it invites readers to consider different perspectives. This openness adds depth and relevance.