The Last Saturday Of October: The Declassified Secrets of Black Saturday by Douglas Charles GilbertMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Who would have thought that the world nearly came to an end at the start of the swinging sixties? The story that Douglas Gilbert tells in this fascinating novel is full of underwater drama that impacts personally upon all the submariners aboard the B-59 submarine, as well as focussing upon the factually true, potentially nuclear, incident that took place in the water off Cuba in 1962. The clear narrative used by the author somehow conveys to the reader a taste of the repetitive monotony of the necessary duties regularly required from the crew, with an incredible amount of technical detail; while at the same time allowing an uncomfortable, sweaty, even claustrophobically candid, glimpse at the conditions experienced by the Russian sailors. Violent Atlantic storms and interpersonal disputes and differences of opinion among officers all add to the tension aboard the sub at different times. You are meant to recall that these events were very likely to have occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis and, regardless of what generation the reader is, there is a certain amount of spine-tingling horror, of what might have been, that lingers in the memory after completing the book.
Gilbert uses his own knowledge and training as a submariner, and much historical detail with great skill. The characterisation and dialogue are clear and credible throughout the novel. When a touch of cynical, personal opinion creeps in about politicians, of whatever persuasion, together with their decisions and their foibles, it comes across as understandable and no surprise. This is an amazing story told with amazing clarity and verve. My only criticism would be that earlier, when there was such a lot of specialist navy detail to take in, long passages of technical description slowed down the story and delayed the tension still to come. This could be true for those readers with no military experience or without a particular interest in them. Nevertheless highly recommended.
View all my reviews
RSS Feed
