Hippolyte's Island

August 13, 2001
Hodgson's cleverly illustrated novel takes the reader on a fabulous journey, not only to the Aurora Islands, a mysterious trio of land formations that obsess the eccentric and delightful Hippolyte Webb, but also on a touching pilgrimage of faith. Webb, an oddball of a young man who collects ancient maps, is a born adventurer. In him, Hodgson (The Sensualist) has crafted the ultimate explorer, one who favors the tools and primitive science of the 18th and 19th centuries over the advances and conveniences of our modern-day world and craves to experience places unknown to mankind. For this particular journey, Webb comes up with the brilliant plan to turn the story of what he is sure will be an amazing discovery into a book. The Auroras, which appeared in the South Atlantic on ancient maps, have disappeared from the contemporary record. Hodgson not only takes us into Webb's mind as he plans and sets out on his fantastic voyage, but also lavishly illustrates her tale with drawings, calculations, photographs and research. The enchanting Webb is vividly realized, as are the wonders of his solo journey to the Southern Hemisphere. The real fun begins when Webb's footloose existence clashes with the precise, ordered world of Marie Simplon, his New York editor. Did the trip really take place, or was it all a sham? In her quest to discover the truth about Webb's journey, Marie is forced to examine the boundaries of her own life as well as her attraction to this wildly unconventional man. Hodgson, using her talents as both writer and artist, once again displays her gift for bringing charmingly idiosyncratic characters to life. (Sept.)Forecast:For the price, this is an elaborately designed book, and should attract browsers who favor the sepia tones of ancient maps and documents.

Starred review from September 15, 2001
Replete with full-color maps, tidal charts, and sketches of flora and fauna, this illustrated novel is part seafaring tale, part romance. Irrepressible dreamer-adventurer Hippolyte Webb undertakes to rediscover the Aurora Islands, west of the Falklands. Although some 200 islands are known to have been submerged, eroded, or, perhaps, misplaced, Webb wangles a $20,000 advance from a publisher pal, travels from British Columbia to the Falklands, and charters a boat for a month. Miraculously, he finds the Auroras, which prove to have an unfortunate tendency to disappear occasionally. He makes himself at home with the penguins, catalogs specimens, discovers a buried corpse, and returns, with copious notes in hand and a box of specimens stinking of low tide. Maria, the editor assigned the task of organizing Webb's scribblings, doesn't believe in them, so Hippolyte, who sleeps in the park to save money, conducts round after round of research to convince the skeptical woman dressed in dull beige suits. Tricked out with foldout maps and drawings, Hodgson's novel inevitably invites comparison with Nick Bantock's\b \b0 best-selling Griffin and Sabine books, perhaps to its detriment, because it lacks the interactive, pull-out correspondence and paranormal suspense that assisted Bantock's sales. Taken on its own merits, however," " the book" " beguiles with the fey charm and gentle humor of a dreamer. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)