‘This is the story of how I became a man . . .’

In May 1939, the SS St Louis left Hamburg for Havana carrying almost a thousand refugees from Hitler’s Germany. On arrival in Cuba, they were forbidden entry and the Captain was forced to turn back. Over the following weeks, the ship criss-crossed the ocean, buffeted alternately by hope and disappointment, as it vainly sought asylum in a friendly port and war drew inexorably closer.

Based on actual events, Michael Arditti’s enthralling new novel is the memoir of one of the passengers, fifteenyear- old Karl, heir to a department store fortune. He recounts both the horror and excitement of the trip, along with his personal voyage of discovery, as he learns the truth about his family, battles Nazi crew members and plans mutiny. Most momentously, he describes his first, passionate love affair with the beautiful Johanna.

A Sea Change is a mesmerising journey through history. A tale of dreams and betrayal, of courage and resilience, of romance and reconciliation, it unforgettably evokes an extraordinary summer in which a boy crosses the threshold from youth to maturity.

MICHAEL ARDITTI was born in Cheshire and lives in London. He is the author of four highly acclaimed novels, The Celibate, Pagan and her Parents, Easter and Unity, and a collection of short stories, Good Clean Fun.