The North Line - by Matt Riordan (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An upmarket debut about a college student who works an Alaskan fishing boat to earn money for tuition only to engage in a dark-hearted exploration of a harsh industry and wilderness"--

Book Synopsis

In Matt Riordan's debut novel, a college student in need of quick money finds work on an Alaskan fishing boat in the unforgiving Bering Sea.

"The North Line is a ruggedly erudite story that combines the best of the individualism of Jack London with the introspective ruminations of Raymond Carver . . . not to be missed."
--S.A. Cosby New York Times bestselling author of All the Sinners Bleed

"A frightening story of tough men pushed to the brink. The novel is captivating, occasionally funny, and startling. I couldn't put it down."
--David Sedaris

Even at the ragged edge of civilization, some lines should not be crossed.

Everyone believes Adam to be something he's not. Sometimes that's because he's told them a story. Sometimes he's told himself one. But when Adam joins an Alaskan fishing crew that's promising quick money, the dangerous work and harsh lifestyle strip away all fabrications and force a dark-hearted exploration of who he really is.

On the unforgiving Bering Sea, Adam finds the adventure and authenticity of a fisherman's life revelatory. The labor required to seize bounty from the ocean invigorates him, and the often crude comradery accompanies a welcome, hard-earned wisdom. But when a strike threatens the entire season and violence stalks the waves, Adam is thrust into a struggle for survival at the edge of the world, where evolutionary and social forces collide for outcomes beyond anyone's control.

In his riveting debut novel, Matt Riordan pairs personal experiences with a master storyteller's eye in a piercing examination of the quest for identity in the face of tempests within and without.

Review Quotes

"[A]n irresistible portrait of commercial fishermen fighting for survival in the early 1990s Alaska. [...] The novel's colorful dialogue and relentless pacing evoke the uncompromising headwinds in [the main character's] path. This is a triumph of gritty realism. "
--Publishers Weekly (Starred)

"[I]n an atmosphere worthy of a Jack London rock'n'roll, Matt Riordan has written a ruthless coming-of-age novel that leaves you breathless."
--Rolling Stone [France]

"Riordan is a superb storyteller, and The North Line is an all-engrossing, never-dull depiction of Alaska's 'wild west' and those drawn to it. Sentence by sentence, Riordan's dazzling language will transport readers into a world both challenging and packed with beauty and possibility."
--Anchorage Daily News

"Riordan writes about both labor and the natural world with an equally keen eye, bringing out the inner torment of a complex character coming to terms with his place in the world."
--CrimeReads, a Best Debut pick

"The North Line is a ruggedly erudite story that combines the best of the individualism of Jack London with the introspective ruminations of Raymond Carver . . . not to be missed."
--S.A. Cosby New York Times bestselling author of All the Sinners Bleed

"A frightening story of tough men pushed to the brink. The novel is captivating, occasionally funny, and startling. I couldn't put it down."
--David Sedaris

"This coming-of- age novel relates the story of a young man among old sea wolves. It is said that man is a wolf to man. In the Bering Sea, man is like a shark."
--Ouest France

"The North Line is one of those rare books that you feel as much as read. The world and its details are so real, so intimate, and so lived-in and that I had to check my fingertips for fish scales once I finished reading."
--Craig Davidson, author of Rust and Bone

"Riordan is summoning demons in this grimy wilderness saga that might hit entirely too close to home for those who know. Magnificent."
--Laird Barron, author of The Wind Began to Howl

"A rough, virile, and exciting novel."
--Tribune de Genève

"A novel that smells of the sea, of mustiness and fuel oil.... A dirty, dark, immersive novel."
--Voile Magazine

About the Author

Matt Riordan grew up in Michigan but spent his early twenties working on commercial fishing boats in Alaska. After college, Matt drifted from commercial fishing through a variety of jobs before landing in law school. He then became a litigator in New York City, where he practiced for twenty years. He now lives with his family in Australia.