The Last Whale Hunter (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9798895152638)

An island on the edge, a desperate last hunt, and the fight to save the soul of the Caribbean.

In The Last Whale Hunter, readers join whaler Bruce Ollivierre of Bequia and his crew of economic migrants as they battle millionaire environmentalists, geopolitical power plays, and an ancient foe five hundred times their size. With the International Whaling Commission's exclusive permission, he attempts to solve a 21st century problem by hunting with equipment and techniques that would sooner be found centuries ago. Likewise, journalist Justin Vibbert dives deep into Bequia's resilient past as a volcanic speck in the Lesser Antilles, uncovering the epic story of Ollivierre's enslaved ancestors who built a whaling industry from scratch after British landowners abandoned the island and its failing sugar plantations.

As Vibbert shares the stories of Ollivierre, his crew, and the struggling locals, all eyes turn to the Easter Regatta, where a final, high-risk hunt unfolds--and where Louise Mitchell, the island's most powerful anti-whaling crusader, is bent on shutting Ollivierre down for good. He has just days left in the season to land a whale and bring in enough money to keep schools open and his community housed and fed for another year.

Failure could mean death for Ollivierre and his men--and the end of whaling and Bequia's autonomy altogether for the island finds itself in crisis as global forces close in on all sides. From Jamaica to Trinidad, China's Belt and Road Initiative reshapes the region, meanwhile US developers scramble to counter Beijing's influence with luxury resorts. But as the two empires carve up the Caribbean, the locals lose their jobs, their homes, and their island's very identity.

One man leads the charge to save Bequia. Bruce Ollivierre, the last whale hunter, is keeping the country and the culture afloat.

Author: Justin Vibbert
ISBN-13: 9798895152638
Publisher: Diversion Books
Language: English
Published: 03/16/2027
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover