Cast Away by Francesca de Tores: A Compelling Look at the Real-Life Robinson Crusoe

Francesca de Tores’ captivating novel, “Cast Away,” delves into the extraordinary life of Alexander Selkirk, an 18th-century privateer. Stranded on a remote South Pacific island, Selkirk’s ordeal transforms into a profound exploration of the human condition. The narrative opens with a striking quote from Frank O’Hara’s poem “Mayakovsky,” adapted for Selkirk. He declares his abandonment on the island a consequence of his own character, a realization that profoundly impacts him, even a man accustomed to solitude. Unlike O’Hara, who muses on the eventual beauty and interest of his personality’s “catastrophe,” Selkirk, utterly alone on his desolate oceanic speck 400 miles from Chile, initially succumbs to despair. The first three days and nights are spent in a drunken stupor, fueled by a cask of rum left by his former crew, as he rages against his fate. This unexpected interweaving of historical figures and temporal perspectives creates a uniquely unsettling and fascinating introduction to de Tores’ remarkable novel.