Save Our Souls: The True Story of a Castaway Family, Treachery, and Murder

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

From the bestselling author of The Taking of Jemima Boone, the unbelievable true story of a real-life Swiss Family Robinson (and their dog) who faced sharks, a terrifying shipwreck, and betrayal in this gripping survival adventure.

On December 10, 1887, a shark fishing boat disappeared. In this work of narrative nonfiction, the Walkers were on board—the ship’s captain Frederick, his wife Elizabeth, their three teenage sons, and their dog—along with the ship’s crew. The family had spotted a promising fishing location when a terrible storm arose, splitting their vessel in two and leaving those onboard adrift on the perilous sea.

When the castaways awoke the next morning, they discovered they had been washed ashore on a deserted island inhabited by a large but ragged and emaciated man who introduced himself as Hans. Hans appeared to have been there for a while and could quickly educate the Walkers and their crew on the island’s resources. But Hans had a secret . . . and as the Walker family gradually came to learn more, what seemed like a stroke of luck to have the mysterious man’s assistance became something ominous, something darker.

Like David Grann and Stacy Schiff, Matthew Pearl unveils one of the most incredible yet little-known historical true stories from 19th-century maritime history, and the only known instance of an actual family of castaways. Save Our Souls asks us to consider who we might become if we found ourselves trapped on a deserted island.

• A True Story of Survival at Sea: Follow the Walker family—a captain, his wife, three teenage sons, and their dog—as they fight for their lives after a violent storm destroys their ship in the middle of the Pacific.
• Marooned with a Stranger: Their hope seems answered when they meet Hans, the island's only other inhabitant. But as the days turn into weeks, they realize the greatest danger might not be the island itself.
• A Lost Chapter of History: Based on meticulous research, this is the only known instance of an entire family of castaways, a gripping tale of resilience and betrayal lost to time until now.
• Family Against the Elements: Faced with sharks, starvation, and dwindling hope, the Walkers must rely on their wits and one another to endure the ultimate test of family bonds.