Book Review: Behind Ocean Lines
This book was sent to me for free by the publisher, Lemon Quartz. Views are my own. The links at the bottom are affiliate links which don’t change the product price for you, but generate a small commission for me.
When you’re sailing in tropical places and looking at views that normally grace the fronts of postcards, brochures and Athena posters, it’s very difficult to tell people back home the truth. When you’re living any kind of life that is oft-exalted, I imagine, the same thing happens – everything you say must be sandwiched by ‘but I know I’m very lucky and, really, things are wonderful as you might expect’ whether that’s the truth or not. It’s hard to talk about the Bad Things without feeling like an ungrateful brat when you’re walking on pristine beaches under a Caribbean sun. In Melanie White’s Behind Ocean Lines, she acknowledges this problem and how that exact challenge, and others, kept her in dangerous situations.
Behind Ocean Lines is a memoir detailing Melanie’s years at sea, working as a stewardess and later a chef on luxury yachts. Using diary-like entries to tell the story, we watch a young woman jump into a life she couldn’t be prepared for and navigate its often-unreasonable demands in frequently hellish situations. It highlights her declining mental health under the staggering pressure she finds herself under and the sheer lack of support available.
The grim underside of luxury
Much like chalet staff in ski resorts, it’s not news that hospitality workers in these environments are treated poorly and expected to do an unbelievable amount of work, but it is striking that there’s little in place to support them and to ensure things change. It seems strange that, as a culture, we idolise the ultra-wealthy living their fancy lives on their glittering yachts even though we know that those yachts aren’t sailing themselves, those beds aren’t changing themselves and those stanchions aren’t shiny of their own accord. Melanie’s story of abuse and bullying at sea doesn’t shock me – I don’t think it’ll shock many readers. That’s what’s shocking.
The story doesn’t have to take place at sea, it could – and does – happen everywhere and in every environment. Women are subjugated, mistreated, abused, not listened to, patronised and replaceable. But it’s amplified at sea because there really is no ‘getting off’. If you’re sailing, you’re literally trapped, sometimes for weeks at a time; if you’re at anchor, you can’t leave the boat for long and in Melanie’s case, she could rock up in any incredible destination she liked but she would still have to cope with an untenable workload and a ridiculous provisioning dash to ensure the galley was fully stocked and ready to go.
Boats are exhausting places for anyone involved in their running, no matter the size. No amount of luxury tableware or sparking tropical sun makes up for that. The sea is an extreme environment.
The light side of humanity
What makes the book so readable is the truthful depiction of humanity throughout it. It’s never all bad or all good, because life isn’t like that either. It doesn’t matter where you are, life holds the same balance of nuance and it really comes through in this story. Melanie shares the incredulity she feels crossing oceans and seas, having dolphins alongside, experimenting with different ingredients and visiting new countries. There’s joy and laughter and life-affirming moments. She reveals her determination and anger, her love and fight, her self-awareness and her stubbornness – all told without judgment.
It’s an important story that reminds us that mental health issues don’t go away because we ignore them and that the glitz and glamour of luxury hides just as many problems as any other environment.
Behind Ocean Lines is published on 10th October 2022 by Lemon Quartz. You can find it on Amazon, on Bookshop.org or wherever else you get books.
