Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

323 pages

"In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota - and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life..." -Dust Jacket

*SPOILERS*
This book was really hyped on Amazon and, as you can see from the cover, it received some critical acclaim so I was expecting a really great read. I think The Hunger Games  has become the frontrunner in dystopian fiction these days and so I tend to compare other novels of that genre to it. This one didn't really measure up for me.

I thought the world the author created had some great potential. Oil has been the downfall of our generation and what's left of us are oil tankers strewn along the coasts and cities underwater. City-destroying hurricanes occur frequently. Nailer lives in a coastal community where scavenge is the currency. People believe in luck and the Fates. Nailer works long hours and in dangerous conditions trying to keep his place on the light crew by meeting his daily quota of copper wiring from the beached oil tankers. His mother's dead and his father's an abusive drunk/drug addict. His only real "family" are his friend Pima and her mom, Sadna. He has a life-altering, near death experience during one of his shifts which then keeps him from killing Nita, choosing to rescue her instead.

The problem for me is that Nailer isn't really tangible. I didn't feel like I got to know him well enough to really believe him, which made me not really care about what happens to him. Almost dying in the oil tanker creates just enough compassion within him to not slit Nita's throat, but only just barely. I'm sure that's because Nailer's world is rough and people kill without compunction or remorse. He's seen his father kill many times. Still, I wanted to feel him feeling more. Nailer's dad is scary but he's also a drug addict. He acts evil and nasty when he's high. For some reason that made him less scary for me than if he had just been evil and nasty and sober. I kind of felt sorry for him in a way.

Sadna is the heart and soul of this book for me. She is compassionate and brave. (She's also quite a fighter.) Surprisingly, my favorite character was Tool, a half-man, which according to a vague description is a genetic mix between a man, a tiger, a hyena and something else, I forget what. They're bred to fight and protect their master but Tool doesn't have a master and his past is very vague. He's intriguing and I want to know more about him. I'm sure I'll get the opportunity as sequels/trilogies seem to be the norm these days. I'll read it because this book was good enough to keep me interested. It just didn't wow me.