‘Girl, Boy, Sea’ by Chris Vick is a powerful story of human resilience and the power of companionship in the face of disaster.

Bill is part of a Youth Sail Challenge off the coast of the Canary Islands, but during a storm he gets separated from his friends when their yacht sinks. Drifting alone for days in his rescue boat, he fears that he will soon run out of water. That’s when he comes across another survivor - a half dead girl drifting on a barrel.

He brings her on board and revives her with his remaining water. Aya, as she introduces herself, is a member of the Berber tribe, and convinces Bill that they must be thankful for every day of being alive.

Together, they create a contraption that collects condensation which they can use for drinking water, and they pass the time trying to find out more about each other, while bridging the language barrier.

Aya tells Bill stories inspired by her uncle who is a storyteller in their native village and there is a wonderful exchange about stories:

“Is it important? To be the storyteller?”

“It is the most important. A story is like food or water.”

“Well, I’d swap your story about Pandora for food right now.”

“A story is important. Like food and aman* also.”

“It’s just a stupid story if you ask me.”

“I did not ask you.”

(*water)

The sea plays a big part in the narrative affecting the mood of the survivors with its ever-changing state. In the fascinating Q&A with Chris Vick at the end of the book, he writes about the sea being not just where the adventure takes place, but an important character in its own right. He talks about the it’s wildness and the fact that we can’t ‘plough it, fence it, or build on it.’ Maybe because of this, it commands such respect.

It was amazing to join Bill and Aya’s gripping journey and to witness their fight for survival against the burning sun and the endless waves. A strong recommendation for young readers.