UNSPEAKABLE

A new novel from award-winning author Caroline Pignat, a heart-wrenching, beautifully written account of a maritime catastrophe.

Based on the true story of the sinking of the RMS Empress of Ireland in May 1914, a disaster that cost more lives than the Titanic, Unspeakable will be published in time to mark the 100th anniversary of this tragedy. Working as a stewardess on board the Empress of Ireland allows Ellie Ryan to forget about why she has been banished from the family home, why her great aunt ultimately had to find her this job. On her first voyage, Ellie herself finds herself drawn to the solitary fire stoker who stands by the ship's rail late at night, often writing in a journal. Jim. Ellie finds it hard to think of his name now. After their wonderful time in Quebec City, that awful night happened. The screams, the bodies, the frigid waters, she tries hard to tell herself that he survived, but it's hard to believe when so many didn't. So when Wyatt Steele, journalist at The New York Times shows up at her door in Liverpool, England, and asks her for her story, Ellen refuses. But when he shows her Jim's journal, she jumps at the chance to be able to read it herself, to find some clue of the man she had fallen in love with, perhaps a clue to what happened to him. There's only one catch: she will have to tell her story to Steele and he'll "pay" her by giving her the journal. One page at a time. Guided by Steele, Ellen slowly opens up. But much more lies at the heart of her story than even Ellen knows, and as she spends more time with Steele and Jim's journal, she discovers what was once unspeakable - for both her and Jim.