I’m on a true-crime spree, which is safer than the alternative, I suppose. I was actually turned on to this book by local author, Corey Lynn Feyman. He mentioned to me he knew a man whose brother murdered his parents on a boat trip, so the man wrote a book about it. NBD.
I was intrigued and easily found the book at my local library. This is the story of an around the world boat trip that Jody and Loren Edwards embarked upon with their adult children in the late 70’s. Like most families, the Edwards’ weren’t without their share of drama, and spending several months together in a cramped space isn’t good for most normal people. So on a stop in San Diego, Larry decided he would end his journey while his parents, brother Gary, sister Kerry, and a family friend (Lori) continued their adventures in the Spellbound.
Less than 3 months later, Larry received a call, “Larry, there’s been an accident.” These five words marked the beginning of a life-long nightmare that Larry still lives to this day. Larry’s parents were dead, his sister was unconscious, and his brother and Lori weren’t really talking. And Larry spent the rest of his life trying to understand what happened.
If you’re looking for true crime, you’ve got it. But this book is so much more. It spans decades and generations. It’s a slowly unfolding story of how a single event can become an obsession, and how this obsession slowly chips away at one’s psyche. As the subtitle states, it’s a memoir of violent loss. And after reading it, you’ll be a step closer to understanding the impact of such a loss. It’s devastating, enduring, and toxic.
An interesting twist to the story is that there is a competing narrative out there. Larry’s niece, against his wishes, published a website detailing the voyage of the Spellbound, encouraging browsers to come to their own conclusions about what happened. After reading the book, you’ll understand what a dick move this was. And finding the website online was a surreal reminder that the events in this book are real.And it was interesting to see how someone who supposedly has credibility on the matter could get things so wrong.
Larry, a San Diego local, has won several awards for this book, including the winner of Best Published Memoir at the 2014 San Diego Book Awards and it was also a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize. So don’t just take my word for it, it’s a good book, y’all. One of my year’s best.
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This sounds really interesting, but I’m wary to pick it up because it sounds like it might not have much resolution. After listening to Serial and just having finished a true crime book that also didn’t have much resolution, I’m really craving it. Did you come away from reading this at least feeling satisfied in some way, or is it just toooootally open ended? I don’t know if that answer will be spoilery.
Hmmm… Difficult to answer. In some ways yes and in others no. It was difficult to read at times because a big part of the book is his search for closure, which takes decades. Does he find it? Probably not in the way you’re hoping. So don’t read it for that reason. But there are a lot of other reasons to read it. I can’t encourage you NOT to.