Published in 1918, this is Maurice Larrouy's personal story of survival. He was a passenger aboard the French cargo ship La Durance when it was torpedoed by a German submarine during World War I. The book is his raw, unfiltered memory of what happened next.

The Story

The attack is sudden and brutal. Larrouy describes the chaos of the explosion, the ship listing, and the frantic rush to the lifeboats. He ends up in a small boat with a handful of other survivors, adrift in the vast North Atlantic. For eight days, they battle the elements. The cold is a constant, gnawing enemy. They have almost no food or fresh water. Hope comes and goes with the sight of distant smoke on the horizon that never gets closer. Larrouy doesn't sugarcoat it. He writes about the physical agony, the moments of despair, and the strange, quiet bonds that form between people facing almost certain death together. The rescue, when it finally comes, feels almost miraculous.

Why You Should Read It

What got me was the sheer immediacy of it. Larrouy isn't a famous hero; he's just a guy who went through something unbelievable and wrote it down. There's no grand philosophy here, just the stark reality of cold, thirst, and fear. You feel the ache in his muscles, the burn of saltwater on his lips, and the crushing weight of time passing slowly. It makes you think about what you're really made of. The book also strips away the romanticism of war at sea. This isn't about naval strategy; it's about the human cost, one lifeboat at a time.

Final Verdict

This is a hidden gem for anyone who loves true survival stories or wants a ground-level view of World War I. It's short, gripping, and incredibly powerful. If you liked the intensity of books like Endurance or Into Thin Air, but prefer a quieter, more personal voice, you'll be captivated by Larrouy's story. It's a stark reminder of human fragility and resilience, told without an ounce of flash, just honest, unforgettable experience.