The Cay

The Cay, by Theodore Taylor

Seeing how many issues and conflicts can be brought up in such a short number of pages, I understand why so many middle school teachers love this young adult novel. From war to racism to learning how to care for yourself, this book has it all.

Phillip Enright is a normal boy except for the fact that his father got transferred to Willemstad, which is on the island of Curacao off the coast of Venezuela. He adjusted fine, learning Dutch to go to the regular school with other students his age. It is not until World War II is brought to their shores in the form of German submarines that his mother becomes more intent on returning to the United States. While leaving his father behind, Phillip and his mother board the Hato to return to the States. The trip is interrupted, however, when the ship gets attacked and Phillip wakes up in a raft out at sea with a seventy-year-old black man named Timothy, a stray cat and a large bump on his head. Thanks to his mother’s influence, Phillip was brought up not to trust black people, but this is something he must get over when his recent head injury causes him to go blind. Unable to see, Phillip must depend on a man he was brought up to hate in order to survive. Finally reaching an island in the middle of nowhere, Phillip must learn how to co-exist with Timothy who is totally different from him, learn how to do things by himself while blind, as well as try to get rescued and survive a hurricane.

Taylor is able to weave a compact novel that seems adventurous without being overly so. The plot keeps readers engaged as well as asks them to think about social issues. His use of dialogue can be distracting with Timothy’s Caribbean vernacular, but I never got lost in what the character was saying. Phillip was able to show true growth through Taylor’s work and after reading this, I feel like maybe I could survive on an island, too.

This was a quick read, but a good read. It may not be for anyone who does not like LOST, Gillian’s Island, Cast Away or Survivor, but it could be great for those thrill seekers who want more than just action sequences. With this book, they will get that.

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
- Joseph Brodsky