Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean by Richard Logan and Tere Duperrault Fassbender
Reviewed by JenniferRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Language: A couple of swear words and profanities.
Violence: A matter-of-fact description of a suicide in which a man makes deep cuts all over his body, bleeding to death. Terry Jo sees her mother and brother dead in a pool of blood. Harvey strikes Terry Jo. Two women die in a car crash. Speculation as to what happened the night of the ship wreck, including the alleged murders of Terry Jo’s family and Harvey’s wife.
Adult Themes: Tragic events leave 11-year-old Terry Jo an orphan. She sees her mother and brother dead and survives alone on the ocean. It was well known that Julian Harvey had many affairs. Harvey is possibly involved in smuggling guns to Cuba. Fraudulent insurance claims. Terry Jo’s experience is compared to being raped – losing her innocence. When she is older Terry moves in with a man, gets pregnant and then they marry. Terry and husband #4 fall in love while he is still married.
Synopsis
This is the real life tragedy of the Duperralut family and the mystery that still surrounds the survival of one of their daughters. In 1961 the Duperraults set out on the adventure of a lifetime. Chartering the Bluebelle, a 60-foot yacht out of Florida, they planned to spend several weeks, and possibly an entire year, sailing the tropics under the skilled hand of Julian Harvey, a decorated war veteran. But early in their sailing vacation, tragedy struck.
According to Harvey’s testimony at a Coast Guard hearing, a violent storm crippled the Bluebelle and she went down. When Harvey was rescued, he had the dead body of 7-year-old Rene Duperrault with him, which he claimed he found floating in the water shortly after abandoning ship. Everyone else aboard was presumed lost at sea. But four days after the tragedy, 11-year-old Terry Jo was found floating on a cork raft, miraculously still alive. After hearing the news of Terry Jo’s survival, Harvey committed suicide, calling his entire testimony into question since Terry Jo was the only person alive who could corroborate or refute his account of the events of that fateful night.
From her hospital bed, Terry Jo gave her account of the events that led to the ship sinking and the death of her entire family. Her testimony was in direct contrast to that of Harvey. Not everyone believed the young girl, but based on her recollection of events and the murky details that emerged concerning Harvey’s sordid past, a plausible theory of murder and fraud emerged.
This is quite a gripping real-life mystery. Unfortunately for those who like all the ends tied up neatly, we will never know exactly what happened to the Bluebelle, Terry Jo’s family and Harvey’s wife. An amazing story of survival, I was glad to see Terry find peace after tragedy. The author seems a bit redundant at times, repeating on several occasions the same information, but for the most part it kept my attention. Although not written specifically for young adults, I think this true story would interest a young person.