Description
Description
A female driller takes charge of an isolated offshore oil rig with an entirely male crew in this propulsive literary debut about ambition, greed and the deadly consequences of ignoring Mother Nature. For readers of Greenwood and Wild Dark Shore. When Zainab, an expert driller, is tasked with overseeing a high-stakes oil rig operation, she leaves behind her pregnant sister to embark on the most challenging assignment of her career. But there's a catch. The rig is teetering on the edge of disaster, and as a woman, Zainab's experience isn't enough to convince the crew of hardened men that she has any place among them, let alone at the helm. The sole woman on the rig, isolated at sea, Zainab is hypervigilant towards potential threats. But as she investigates the issues that have plagued the rig, she quickly grasps that an even more pressing danger may lie in the cold calculations that underpin the entire operation, placing profit before safety, sustainability and sense. When all her warnings are ignored, Zainab must race to prevent the looming catastrophe that threatens the rig, the lives of the crew and the very welfare of the sea before it's too late. Haunting, original, and as poetic as it is propulsive, At Sea is a taut and gripping novel about principle, prejudice, and the capitalist endeavors that overlook the concerns of women--and of Mother Nature herself.
About the Author
About the Author
Born in Sudan, Y.M. Abdel-Magied's first job as a teenager was in a coal mine in rural Australia. After graduating with first-class honours in Mechanical Engineering, Abdel-Magied trained and worked as an MWD (Measurement While Drilling) contractor and drilling engineer across Europe, Australia, Asia and the United States. She is the founder of the organization Youth Without Borders and the author of six books (three works of non-fiction and three books for children). At Sea is Abdel-Magied's first adult novel and will be her American debut. She lives in England.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Propulsive and engrossing and deeply fascinating, Abdel-Magied's At Sea is a feat of vivid world-building, of characters sketched with such empathy and with a poet's economy of language. My heart was in my throat the entire time. This story will haunt me forever."--Safia Elhillo, author of Home Is Not a Country
"With a kick-ass heroine, and moving between Sudan and Scotland, Australia and a rig on the verge of blowout, At Sea captures the high stakes, drama and the claustrophobia of life off-shore in the service of Big Oil."--Gavin Francis, author of Empire Antarctica
"Abdel-Magied is a writer who pays attention. Suspenseful, moving, often surprising and even funny, At Sea is an engrossing novel, and its protagonist Zainab is full of heart and charm. Abdel-Magied deftly charts the complex dynamics between characters in a world where games of power and ego can have devastating and perilous consequences."--Fatima Mirza, author of A Place for Us, a New York Times bestseller
"Written with the urgency of a thriller and the distress signal of an allegory, At Sea is a smart, razor-sharp takedown of the machismo of big oil and what it is to be a woman operating in such a hostile industry. Abdel-Magied tells this compelling story with a fresh, authoritative voice."-- "Caoilinn Hughes, author of The Alternatives "
"Zesty, intense and thrilling. At Sea is a wonderful achievement. This is a jarring exposé of the satisfactions and brutality of the workplace--the joys of career success, the power struggles with colleagues, the humiliations and bruised sense of worth. We witness how ambition can become a trap, and how structure and mental absorption can be an escape from family difficulties."-- "Leila Aboulela, author of River Spirit, a New York Times notable book"
"A thrilling and emotionally complex ride. At Sea is a story of gender and power politics and the cost of capitalism and unhealed wounds. It is a masterclass in drawing a reader into worlds unknown and making it consume their every waking thought. Abdel-Magied has written a carefully composed novel that pulls no punches as it deftly explores the painful reality of life on the rig that is both compelling and captivating."-- "Ore Abaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us"
"Fast-paced, gripping and gloriously entertaining. At Sea exposes the social dynamics we all recognise-- power, gender, and ambition."-- "Tilly Lawless, author of Nothing But My Body"
"Drawing on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil-spill disaster and her own experiences as a drilling engineer from Sudan, like her protagonist, Abdel-Magied offers fascinating technical details, intriguing personalities, and dramatic showdowns within the precarious confines of an oil rig beset by the ever-changing sea and winds. The result is an involving, suspenseful, psychologically intricate, and thought-provoking tale of humankind's hubris and nature's might."--Booklist
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Pegasus Books
Pub date:
2026-05-05
Length:
240 pages
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