The Raftsmen

This intriguing debut tells the remarkable story of how Henri Beaudout sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with three companions on a 30-foot wooden raft in 1956. Barnett, a filmmaker, first explored the raftsmen’s voyage in a short 2016 documentary; this narrative nonfiction book expands on the story and includes dozens of historical photographs, newspaper articles, maps, and segments illustrated in graphic novel panels by artist Bondarenko. Beaudout, who fought the Nazis as part of the French Resistance, left France for Montreal after WWII, but he was restless and haunted by the war and seized upon the idea of traversing the North Atlantic. He built a raft out of nine telephone poles and a sail and christened it L’Egaré (the lost one). After a failed first voyage in 1955, Beaudout built L’Egaré II and relaunched from Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1956 with three crew members. Over a three-month journey, Beaudout and crew faced the perils of Atlantic storms, gnawing hunger, and pervasive boredom, only occasionally interrupted by encounters with passing cargo ships and sharks. Barnett’s book is beautifully laid out, and Bondarenko’s lively graphic segments blend seamlessly with the narrative. This is a fascinating story that will take readers on a mostly forgotten but still inspiring voyage. (Oct.)