Hunt, E. Howard East of Farewell
Exceptionally strong North Atlantic convoy tale. Published at the height of the War, the novel is noteworthy for its relatively realistic, no-nonsense depiction of life aboard a U.S. destroyer during a routine – if there ever was such a concept on the North Atlantic in 1942! – eastbound convoy. In this regard, the work stands in sharp contrast to much other literature of the era in this regard, for example Guy Gilpatric’s Action in the North Atlantic or just about any short story appearing in Collier’s, Liberty or The Saturday Evening Post. Hunt’s characters ring true, as do the situations in which they and their convoy find themselves. And Hunt’s take on the tensions between “regular navy” men and those serving for just the duration of the war is particularly telling. This is also one of the few times in which African-Americans are depicted at sea, though all unfortunately as stereo typically lazy and frightened mess stewards given to speech resembling something uttered by Bo Jangles. Also hard to ignore in the 21st Century is Hunt’s routine use of the word “nigger,” though one should probably look at it as an artifact of its time. These caveats aside, East of Farewell is an excellent introduction to World War 2 convoy fiction. The Times Literary Supplement’s review of Sept. 30, 1944 from war-weary London was a positive one, noting, in part:
“[Hunt’s] characters are men as we know. There is no heroism. There is but duty rigorously performed. That means there is no sensationalism, only storms, weariness, and, like an ever-present anxiety overcoming dreariness and languor in tumult, the presence of the helpless convoy.”
Author Hunt himself served as an ensign aboard a destroyer in the North Atlantic during the early days of World War 2. And an added author note: yes, indeed, E. Howard Hunt today is best remembered as one of the Nixon-era Watergate burglars. He was also a prolific author and, as East of Farewell proves, a talented one.