The Raft

I’ll be honest, this was another one of those books that piqued my interest just by the cover art.  I recently read Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand, a true story about a man whose B-24 bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, afterward he spent 47 days floating on a raft in the middle of the ocean, only to be captured by the Japanese and held prisoner for two years.  Although The Raft is a work of fiction, I was interested to see how the author portrayed a plane crash and life on a raft.  The main character, a 15-year old girl named Robie has traveled from Hawaii to her home on the Midway Atoll more times than she can count, but she never expected this to happen.  The cargo plane’s engine dies and she is literally tossed out of the plane by the co-pilot and rescued by him once she landed in the water.  She spends over a week on the raft, until finally she spots land – an unihabited island where only birds and other sea life live. 

I really enjoyed the beginning of this story, but felt the end was a little rushed.  The author did an amazing job of making Robie, seem like a typical 15-year old, rather than someone who knew exactly what to do and when to do it.  In a slim 240-pages, the author is able to capture Robie’s emotions perfectly – from fear to sadness, and everything in between.  If you are interested in suspenseful stories that aren’t your typical “scary” story – this is the perfect book!

Check out the author’s website for more information about her and the books she has written!

Title: The Raft
Author: S. A. Bodeen
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: 2012
Page Number: 240 pgs.