Ship Breaker is a standalone dystopian novel by Paolo Bacigalupi.
Instead of the generic dystopian setting with a controlling government and amazing and clean technology, the world of Ship Breaker seems to have regressed. In this world, the social divide between the rich and the poor is huge. The rich employ half-men, people with human genes mixed with the genes of dogs, tigers, hyenas, and ride around in expensive and fast clipper ships. The poor are forced into gritty and awful conditions. Many live without food, a strong shelter and clean water. Competition for jobs and the wish of wealthy is high. This creates an environment where back-stabbing is common, but, in the wrecks where ship breakers scavenge abandoned oil tankers for parts, loyalty is everything.
Nailer was born and raised poor. He is a ship breaker on the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring in grounded oil tankers. Nailer works hard every day to make quota knowing that one day, his time as a ship breaker will come to an end. While he trusts his crew with his life, his father is evil and abusive. This causes Nailer to have trouble defining what family is and who he accepts as family. Nailer’s values are also put to the test. He is given the chance to become rich, but is at the cost of someone’s life. He is forced to choose between saving someone’s life, but putting himself in harm’s way or becoming rich at the cost of someone’s life.
Ship Breaker is an excellent read. It puts a new, refreshing spin on the dystopian genre. There is no controlling government and no rebels fighting for freedom. Instead, there is blood, grit, and violence. Everyone is fighting for their survival and refusing to die without taking a few lives with them. The book keeps you hooked and on the edge of your seat. This book has won many awards and is a powerful novel about loyalty and values. It also discusses themes of luck and karma, claiming that while hard work is good, the thing that truly defines lives is luck. A person can be the hardest worker in the world, yet never enjoy the life of comfort a lazy person can have. The world of Ship Breaker is intriguing, vivid and raw. Paolo Bacigalupi creates a realistic world for readers to dive into and get lost in it.