Deep Waters

"Deep Waters" by W. W. Jacobs is a collection of short stories that show the funny but complicated lives of sailors during the early 1900s. The stories follow characters working on the water, and their funny but sometimes sad adventures, while focusing on ideas such as chance, friendships, and how messy life can be when working at sea. When the book opens, we get to know sailors coming back to land and the trouble they face with money and people. We are introduced to one sailor, Sam Small, returning from a trip, and he finds a new friend in a fancier dressed stranger. This fun situation is the beginning of Sam's amusing troubles as he gets involved in looking for a lost gold necklace, showing how silly sailors can be as they try to handle life both on the sea and on land. What makes Jacobs' stories so good is how he mixes funny jokes with a close look at what people are like, setting the tone for the stories that are about to come.