Local author Eric Jay Dolin’s new book released this week, tells the true story of five castaways stranded on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812.
“Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery and Survival at the Edge of the World” is Dolin’s 16th book and 15th about maritime history.
“When you become a writer … what will happen especially if you write nonfiction books, is you tend to get pigeonholed into a certain genre,” Dolin told the Current. “Fortunately for me, I like maritime themes, so I’ve sort of kept to them. Not a sailor but I love the ocean.”
Dolin has lived in Marblehead for over 18 years, taking inspiration for his stories in town.
“Living in a place that values its history, living in a place that has so much history, living in a place that’s next to the ocean … It has inspired me,” Dolin said. “Beyond inspiring me, it’s just created a context where the ocean and maritime tales are always ones that I’m thinking about because of the environment that I’m in.”
Dolin’s new book stands out from his other stories with its style, length and focus.
“Whether or not you’re familiar with my writing, this book is very different from my other books,” the author said. “Most of my books have about nine to 13 chapters and span decades, if not centuries. This book has 40 chapters, and the main part of the book spans around three or so years. So it’s very different in scope.”
The story is fast-paced, Dolin explained. Each chapter leaves you wondering what happens next.
“Left for Dead” picks up after a British brig crashes, stranding its 54 passengers until American seal hunters find and agree to rescue them. In the passengers’ rush to be rescued, they leave behind five men they could have saved.
“The book deals with how those five men survived in the Falkland Islands, which is a very desolate area which is very cold and very windy,” Dolin said.
As a historical non-fiction writer, Dolin can spend years researching the topics in his stories.
“This one was pretty quick because it was focused,” he told the Current. “Since this book was more focused, it had fewer sources; it focused on a couple of years instead of three centuries. I researched and wrote the book in 15, 16 months, maybe.”
When asked what part of his story or process stood out to him, Dolin highlighted learning about the Falkland Islands.
“I knew nothing about the Falkland Islands,” he commented. “One of the things that was really surprising was how much of a character the islands became and how fascinated I became about the Falkland Islands.”
As a writer, Dolin’s goal is to write books that are informative, accurate and enjoyable.
“In the end, if somebody reads it and they don’t turn the page to the next chapter, then you’ve lost. You’ve lost your reader.
“I write books that I would like to read.” Dolin continued. “My basic readers are people that just like a really good story — about American history or just history in general — but an awful lot of my readers are people who are attracted to maritime history.”
Dolin will speak about his new book at the Eastern Yacht Club on May 30. For more information, visit ericjaydolin.com
