"Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer" is a novel by Sena Jeter Naslund that reimagines the life of Una, the wife of Captain Ahab from Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." The story presents Una as a strong and independent woman who leads an adventurous life, filled with curiosity and intellect. Through her journey, the novel explores themes of love, loss, and the quest for identity against the backdrop of the whaling industry and the sea.
The narrative follows Una's experiences from her childhood in Kentucky to her marriage with Ahab, where she grapples with the challenges of a marriage to a man consumed by his obsession with the white whale. The novel also delves into her relationships with significant historical figures, such as Frederick Douglass and Emily Dickinson, highlighting women's roles in a male-dominated society.