“I know this: we’re made of stories, legends and myths just as we are made of water, atoms and flesh… everything can change in an instant, a flash, a blink of an eye. A story can shift completely with the screech of a car tire, the flash of fire or the words of someone you love.” Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is an expert in stories, legends and myths. In fact, it’s her specialty, and no one knows better than she does how life can change drastically in a single instant. But not all stories are meant to be shared --- some are best left forgotten in the past.

As her spring semester is wrapping up, Everly is approached to curate a new exhibition about the steamship Pulaski, often referred to as “The Titanic of the South,” which sank in 1838. Normally this would have been an exciting prospect for the Savannah native, but this project is connected to a tragedy in her past that she’s fiercely trying to outrun. The offer comes from Oliver, an old colleague from the local maritime museum. He also was engaged to Mora, their other coworker and Everly’s closest friend from childhood. Since Mora’s tragic accident a year ago, Everly has felt an unhealthy amount of guilt. If only she had moved a few feet to her right or left, that car would have hit her instead of Mora. It’s still all too raw to deal with this profound loss.

"The alternating chapters richly illustrate each character while impeccably setting the scene so vividly that you can practically feel the sea spray in your face. You won’t regret boarding SURVIVING SAVANNAH for a touching, rollicking ride of a lifetime."

But Mora’s death brings an unexpected gift for Everly, one that perhaps she could turn toward the Pulaski exhibition: “I could see another’s pain. It was as if my trauma had given me a second sight.” Oliver knows this special project is best suited for Everly. The wreckage of the long-ago sunken ship had just been discovered off the coast of North Carolina, and he needs her keen eye to fully illuminate the story of that last, tragic voyage. Everly somewhat reluctantly accepts his offer, opting to bury herself in 1838 over running from her own life.

In alternating chapters, we meet wealthy Savannah residents and passengers on that ill-fated liner, including Lilly Forsyth and her aunt, Augusta Longstreet, who barely can contain their excitement as they board the Pulaski on a warm June day in 1838. The ship would take them north to Baltimore, where they would then hop on stagecoaches and trains for their final destination of Saratoga Springs, New York, to spend the summer, avoiding the oppressive heat of Savannah. Given their long spate away from home, they essentially bring their homes with them, packing steamer trunks full of gold bars, fine china, their best flatware, linens and enough clothes to last the summer. No one aboard has any idea that they will never make it to their destination, and their prized possessions would reside on the bottom of the ocean floor for 180 years.

For a young mother like Lilly, she isn’t just escaping the heat. Being onboard the spacious liner enables her to avoid her abusive husband, Adam, who recently has been prone to taking out his frustrations with his fists. She can enjoy the sea air on the deck, spending time with Augusta; her baby daughter, Madeline; and Priscilla, the enslaved woman who also was the baby’s wet nurse and caretaker. Augusta herself is getting over a tragedy, having lost her fiancé to illness right before their wedding. She decided to join her brother and his family of 10 to heal her broken, grieving heart. As the only single woman in her family, Augusta often feels “needed but never wanted” and throws herself into the care of her young nieces and nephews. But on their second night at sea, the ship’s boiler explodes and the craft begins sinking very quickly. A shortage of lifeboats, a lack of remaining crew members and a rapidly descending ship make the odds of survival increasingly ominous.

Back in Everly’s time, as she begins to examine the treasures of the Pulaski, she is overwhelmed with her grief for Mora, her complicated feelings about Oliver, and her single-minded desire to bring the driver who ended her friend’s life to justice. But just like the exhibition, Everly finds that she needs to plumb new depths in order to fully move forward in her life.

Patti Callahan has proven her deftness with a well-spun Southern yarn time and time again. But with this new book and her previous historical novel, BECOMING MRS. LEWIS, she demonstrates her keen skill of taking readers back in time. The alternating chapters richly illustrate each character while impeccably setting the scene so vividly that you can practically feel the sea spray in your face. You won’t regret boarding SURVIVING SAVANNAH for a touching, rollicking ride of a lifetime.