Outerbridge Reach

"I think most of us spend our lives without ever having to find out what we're made of. Our lives are soft in this country. In the present day, a man can live his whole life and never test his true resources," the protagonist, Owen Browne, tells the quasi-antagonist and documentary filmmaker Ron Strickland, a third of the way through Outerbridge Reach.

The exchange takes place shortly before Owen begins a solo sailing race to circumnavigate the world. In the lead up to the race, Strickland films Owen and his family. Owen seeks a deeper truth about himself. Strickland seeks one about the world.

Spoiler incoming: Owen's boat gets battered. He veers off course, loses his place in the race, begins lying about his position and fantasizes about starting a new life. He commits suicide. Meanwhile, Strickland begins an affair with Owen's wife, Anne. The cold-hearted documentarian, who cares for nothing beyond a story, loses his heart to one of his subjects. They part near the end of the novel.

Robert Stone crafted a powerful story that hits hardest through subtle observations. Owen, for instance, gets too caught up in his own head. Strickland not enough. Stone delivers, but the story never feels urgent or exciting. It could have been better.

Still, Outerbridge Reach tells a familiar story, and it made me reflect on my own life. It's about the aimlessness middle-aged men feel. The emptiness that pushes them toward some outlandish "meaningful" pursuit because they can't see the good things already in their lives. It's relatable, which makes me feel dumb. This sort of nonsense doesn't happen as often with women. They're smart enough to be happy with the life they built. Men often want to cement their names in history.