“The Lifeboat” by Charlotte Rogan had an interesting premise but a lack luster execution. The story takes place after the sinking of the Titanic, on the eve of World War I. The narration is told in a flashback by Grace, a twenty-something designing woman who has made her catch and is sailing with her groom from England to America. The boat runs into trouble, but we never learn why. There are not enough lifeboats for everyone and the ship is sinking so fast that all the lifeboats available are not launched. Grace’s lifeboat is overcrowded and the passengers decide who will live and who will die.
I don’t think the characters were that well developed and so I didn’t ultimately care who lived or died. Grace wasn’t that interesting a narrator to carry the story.