WHITE SLAVES

Kinsey’s historical novel portrays a notorious 17th-century kidnapping on Ireland’s south coast.

The novel reimagines the 1631 Barbary Coast corsairs’ invasion of the Irish coast, in which they set fire to the village of Baltimore and kidnap nearly all the inhabitants. The corsairs then set sail with their captives as cargo on a monthlong voyage to Algiers, dodging the French and Spanish navies along the way, where they will sell their human cargo into slavery. The corsair captain, Murad Reis, is a Dutchman who has converted to Islam and becomes an increasingly complex character as the story progresses. The passage to Algiers is rough, and along the way there are even some belowdecks murders to solve. Once the ship arrives in Algiers, a North African city rivaling the most beautiful places in Europe, husbands and wives are separated, and some mothers never see their children again. Religion is serious business in Algiers, and many captured Calvinists convert to Islam to get better treatment (some even become true believers) over the many years they are enslaved. The author focuses on a few select characters and fashions some intriguing fates for them. Capt. Murad leaves soon after he gets to Algiers to go on more plundering adventures. But he shows up again two years later to free Felix Gunter and his brother Caleb Gunter from slavery. Ciara, a beautiful Irish maid, takes the adventure in stride (“The captain says you’ll be sold to the pasha, Ciara.” “Well, I do hope so.”) but quickly realizes that harem life is not for her. Religion is an important plot element in the novel, and not just Islam and Christianity: As it turns out, the village of Baltimore’s fate was sealed by local Irish Catholics who hated the English Calvinist interlopers. Swashbuckling sea battles provide ample action here, and lore about weapons and tactics will delight devotees of pre-20th-century history. This is also a story that questions not just religious beliefs, but also mankind’s true identity under heaven. But it is ultimately the characters—and their attendant vices and virtues—that grab the reader’s attention over the course of the novel.

A skillfully rendered fictional account of an obscure but fascinating slice of history.