The Ship — Chris Ward

Time and tide wait for no man, and both loom large in the life of Yusuf the old and humble Coptic fisherman of Gaza. The simple rhythms of his hard life are seared by the constant reminder of his oppression, manifested in the large Israeli warship anchored off the coast where he fishes each day. Its arrogant display of raw power never ceases to trouble him, but he is drawn to it, for it attracts the fish and he wants to catch one last big swordfish before he dies. Unknown he is watched, and without warning Yusuf finds himself suddenly trapped between the oppressors he encounters daily as he fishes, and the violence of the radical jihadists who want to use him for their own ends. Threatened with the death of those he loves; Moses a young boy, the grandson he never had, and his single mother, the gentle Haifa, Yusuf cannot avoid the most difficult of all challenges. Quintessentially, Hemingway's Old man of the Sea, Yusuf must draw on his simple wisdom and even deeper values to make a stand against all which oppresses him.
Reviewed by Seven Stories Press, New York as ‘a joy to read', The old man and the Ship will not fail to move you deeply.