Lobster fishing — perhaps not the most scintillating of subjects for a romance novel at first glance, but Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Stern Men” proves that this unlikely profession does, in fact, provide the perfect backdrop for a novel that is so much more than a romance.
Ruth Thomas, our heroine, is anything but romantic at the story’s opening. Born on Fort Niles Island 18 years ago and subsequently sent away to boarding school, she has returned to the island she considers her true home, even though she finds it hard to articulate why. The only girl her age on the island, she may be at a loss for both peers and a clear purpose, but her obstinate nature and strong will make up for these in spades.
Fort Niles is the neighbor to Courne Haven, a rival lobster fishing island. Both have populations under a thousand, and both have been locked in a feud over lobster fishing for decades. As virtually the only means of livelihood on the islands, one can imagine that the feelings between fishermen can escalate from bitter to murderous in no time.
The fishermen and families that the novel centers around are more than a little eccentric, but never dull. Ruth has grown up without a mother, due to a complicated situation with the Ellis family (the proprietors of the old Ellis Granite Company, and thus the island’s royalty) that is not fully explained until midway through the novel. Because of this, she has spent the majority of her time on the island with her neighbors, Mrs. Pommeroy and her seven sons.
Upon Ruth’s graduation from high school and return to Fort Niles, she finds herself at a loss for direction in her life. She spends her days alternating between the Pommeroy house and the muddy beaches with 70-year-old “Senator” Simon — just one more quirky addition to the extremely tight-knit community.
Ruth is eventually urged by Mr. Ellis, her grandfather, to visit her mother back on the mainland, at which point both the reason for her mother’s absence and Ruth’s animosity toward the Ellis family are made clear. Ruth’s mother has been forced into servitude for the elderly Miss Vera Ellis, a situation that makes strong, independent Ruth more than a little angry. Ruth is extremely riled by her mother’s meek nature and consequently angry with the Ellis family, as she sees them as the cause of her mother’s unfortunate position.
When Ruth returns from her visit, she is determined to make a permanent home for herself on the island, no matter how much the other inhabitants believe she should reach for a life beyond lobster fishing. The island community is so tight-knit that it has become inextricably inbred, which in turn leads to the entire island treating one another as family — in caring and fighting.
As mentioned, two rainy, bleak islands centered around a commerce of lobster fishing may not sound like the most thrilling setting for a novel about a young girl. However, Gilbert writes with such engaging, understated prose that it’s impossible not to become immersed in the story. Gilbert interweaves the history of “lobster wars” and the current battles over lobster territory into the main plot in a fascinating way that slowly reveals the endless connections between the islands.
When Ruth does begin to find her own niche in the island, it is clear that all of the background information about the islands has been an integral part in creating Ruth’s storyline. Each character has such a strong, lifelike presence that it is easy to consider Ruth’s friends and foes your own. Her battles and triumphs encapsulate the essence of a tenacious young woman learning about life and love, regardless of the unusual circumstances.
Ruth’s biting sarcasm and the understated humor further exemplify Gilbert’s skill in entertainment. Her writing style is irresistible in its simplicity and honesty, and the characters she creates are equally entrancing. “Stern Men” is a one-of-a-kind tale of what it means to be an unprecedentedly strong woman searching for love and purpose in a world that is equal parts suffocatingly familiar and frighteningly foreign.