LoveReading Says
August 2013 Debut of the Month.
An atmospheric and engrossing coming of age thriller. A death on Loyalty Island, in Northern Washington State, leads 14 year old Cal to be swept up in a storm of lies and deceit that make him question his family and the limits of his own morality. This modern re-telling of Treasure Island is an gripping and suspenseful debut.
In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man, a small number of Lovereading members were lucky enough to be invited to review this title - 'Cleverly complex and deeply fascinating...Nick Dybek’s novel is truly beautiful and affecting' - Lucinda Fountain. Scroll down to read more reviews.
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Nick Dybek Press Reviews
We have asked a select number of members and browsers to review When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man. You can read their reviews below.
Lucinda Fountain - Cleverly complex and deeply fascinating, the intoxicating intensity of this well-drawn thriller is simply stunning...Nick Dybek’s novel is truly beautiful and affecting, which has pleasantly surprised me as I did not expect to encounter something so impacting.' Click here to read the full review.
Fleur Fisher - 'This quietly compelling debut novel portrays a young man living in a small fishing community, a painful decision he must make, and his coming of age to very fine effect.' Click here to read the full review.
Edel Waugh - 'The story is told well through Cal's sympathetic eyes ,he is a wonderful lead character that is easy to empathise with. This was a wonderful story!' Click here to read the full review.
Rebecca Barrett - 'Cal was a very intricate character, who had a father that felt like a stranger to him, and that showed the emotion that carried the novel into a fast-moving, tragedy that was a shockingly great read.' Click here to read the full review.
Zarina de Ruiter - 'The novel is beautifully written but focuses more on the prose than on establishing a storyline, which is an at least equally important aspect of creating a successful read.' Click here to read the full review.
Ruth Paterson - 'When Captain Flint was Still a Good Man is very well written with vivid descriptions and clever characterisations.' Click here to read the full review.
Clare Topping - 'Although it is a slow moving book it is nonetheless enjoyable; a fast paced thriller in a slow moving town really wouldn’t work. Definitely recommended for a day or two’s decadent reading.' Click here to read the full review.
Julie Bertschin - 'This is a tense story, there is a sense of foreboding right from the start of the novel and this slowly increases as the story progresses...A very engrossing read.' Click here to read the full review.
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'Dybek brings serious talent to bear... [The novel] finishes on a powerful note of moral murkiness... Evocative.' New York Times
'Finely crafted ... a taut novel juggling the sometimes conflicting impulses to do the moral thing, and to protect those we love' Los Angeles Times
'Dybek has a gift for the atmospheric.' The New Yorker
'An engrossing and exacting moral thriller.' -- Peter Ho Davies, Author Of The Welsh Girl
'A thrilling yarn, delivered as if by a scarred man by the consoling light of a fire.' The Economist
'An authentic, atmospheric, coming-of-age story with a painful dilemma ... A terrific debut.' -- C. J. Box
'[An] engrossing, often haunting thriller.' Washington Independent Review of Books
About Nick Dybek
Nick Dybek is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and was chosen as a Granta New Voice. He is the recipient of a Hopwood Award for Short Fiction, a Maytag Fellowship and a 2010 Michener-Copernicus Society of America Award. When Captain Flint Was Still A Good Man is his first novel. He lives in New York.
Author photo © Melissa Blackall
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