Journey to St. Thomas: Tales for Our Time

"In this modern reimagining of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, A Journey to St. Thomas follows two dozen strangers as they set off on a vacation cruise to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. As different from one another as strangers can be, they agree to pass the time and entertain one another by telling stories. As the stories are shared, everyone learns more about their neighbors, and they begin to bond. Partway through the voyage, however, they are notified about a virus that has spread across the United States and their destination. Their ship is quarantined, and they are destined to loll on the waves of the open sea until a port welcomes them. Stuck together in the confines of the ship, they continue regaling each other with fascinating tales. Author Josiah Hatch, who studied Anglo Saxon and Middle English languages at Oxford University, uses iambic pentameter and craftily updates Chaucer's characters to those on the present-day cruise liner. Touching on topics including political differences and discord, elitism, economic hardship, and the perceived inability of the ordinary citizen to make a difference, this rich, innovative, and beautifully illustrated book captures the humor, insight, and pathos of the original while telling a very modern story"--