The Book of Quint

“1100 men went into the water…” So begins the critically acclaimed and haunting monologue by actor Robert Shaw as grizzled shark hunter Quint in the movie Jaws, in which he describes his experience as a survivor of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the dying days of the Second World War. The USS Indianapolis was returning from delivering the first atomic bomb to Tinian, and on her way to the Philippines when a Japanese submarine hit her with two torpedoes. The ship sank in twelve minutes, leaving hundreds of crew members floating in the ocean with hardly any food, water, or lifeboats. During the next five days most died from exposure, salt poisoning, dehydration, and the worst mass shark attacks in recorded history. Only 316 of 1195 crew survived. This historic event provides the motivation for the iconic character Quint in Jaws. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of Jaws, the first summer blockbuster, author and host of the podcast The Jaw Obsession Ryan Dacko has written the definitive prequel novel to the movie Jaws, telling the story of Quint. Beginning with him adrift in the Philippine Sea after the sinking, and after the end of the war following him first to San Fransisco and then to Amity Island, we read of how and when he acquires his many scars, of how he comes to own his boat The Orca and how he develops his technique for hunting sharks as seen in the movie. Along the way we meet figures from history such as Charles McVay, captain of the doomed Indianapolis, and characters from the movie Jaws such as Larry Vaughan, the slippery Mayor of Amity Island, Ichthyologist Matt Hooper and Quint’s mate Herschel Salvatore. This novel, the result of extensive research by the author, expands the Jaws universe, and adds crucial backstory that enhances the experience of watching what many still consider to be the greatest movie ever made. It is a story of overcoming odds, survivors guilt, PTSD, one man’s quest for justice, and lots of sharks.