The Thread of Flame

"The Thread of Flame" by Basil King is a tale of self-discovery, where a man finds himself on a ship to New York with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As the confused protagonist meets fellow travelers like Drinkwater, a blind man, and a young woman named Lydia Blair, he must confront his alienation. Starting with waking up in a small cabin on a ship, more than a day after it departed, he can't remember his past. Befriending Drinkwater, an insightful blind man, the protagonist uses each interaction as another piece of the puzzle of his former life. The central focus becomes his journey to reclaim his lost identity, exploring themes of belonging and the search for meaning in a confusing world.