Pirates and Privateers - Review of Nick Lake's Hostage Three

Amy Fields is Hostage Three. Sailing around the world wasn’t in her plans until her father and “the stepmother” spring the trip on her. Nor did she expect a pirate to point a gun at her head. But then life has been turned upside down ever since Somali pirates boarded their yacht and took them captive .

Nearly eighteen, Amy coasts through life, testing boundaries, especially at school, and not truly understanding that actions have consequences. She thinks age brings wisdom, money provides safety, and only old people die. What she discovers is that none of these maxims are true and that consequences can be deadly.

This tale includes violence and attempted rape, but also has a Romeo-and-Juliet-type love story. It’s a tale of self-awareness and maturity that is well researched and filled with nuances that make it realistic and thought-provoking. The pirates are portrayed as three-dimensional people, rather than cardboard villains. Although written for young adults, older readers will find Amy’s story equally compelling.

Lake opens this gripping tale with Amy wondering if she’s facing her last minutes on earth. Then, having set the stage, he steps back to let Amy introduce herself and how she came to be standing on the yacht’s diving deck off the coast of Somalia. He slowly draws us into her privileged world, one in which she doesn’t quite seem to fit, one in which she seems lost. While few of us have experienced all that Amy does, her emotions and responses are ones with which we can identify. The full impact of what she endures sneaks up on us, catching us unaware, but its profoundness affects us just as her experiences alter her outlook on life.

Read an excerpt