{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgood-scribes-only.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2F163-north-water-patrick-sumner-thriller-Eu_VHb_z","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"#163 The North Water - Ian McGuire (Thriller)","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/dc0bf27c-409e-4d1e-9c3d-be80c45f3ec3/3c183790-3d10-4f0c-b5ed-c08fbf370e2b/north_water_cover.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/97f56ee4-a4b6-4572-9360-d2645925dfef\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"#163 The North Water - Ian McGuire (Thriller)\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"About the Book:\n\nPublished in 2016, The North Water is a brutal, atmospheric tale set aboard a 19th-century whaling ship bound for the Arctic. The novel follows Patrick Sumner, a disgraced former army surgeon seeking escape from his past, who signs on as the ship’s doctor. Among the crew is Henry Drax, a harpooner of terrifying violence and amorality—a man who embodies the darkest instincts of survival.\n\nAs the voyage pushes further into the frozen, unforgiving north, the boundaries between civilization and savagery begin to dissolve. What unfolds is both a survival story and a descent into moral extremity, where the natural world is as indifferent as the men are dangerous. Unflinching and visceral, The North Water explores themes of brutality, isolation, and the thin line separating man from beast. The novel was widely acclaimed for its intensity and later adapted into a television series."}