The Next Ship Home is an enlightening and enjoyable novel about Ellis Island at the very beginning of the 20th century. The two protagonists seem, at first glance, to have little in common. Alma comes from a German family that is well established in New York. Her mother and stepfather run a popular beer hall in a largely German area, but the family is saving to move to a better neighborhood. However, Alma’s life is not as rosy as it might at first seem. She is plain and studious, and she has neither managed to marry nor attract potential suitors. Her stepfather resents her for being a “financial burden” on him, so he arranges for her to work as a matron on Ellis Island.
There, Alma joins an overworked and often resentful staff—and she finds troubling evidence that immigrants are not being treated with the respect, kindness, and helpfulness they deserve. Early in her employment, she befriends two Italian sisters, Francesca and Maria, who are fleeing an intolerable situation in Sicily. In her insular German-American community, Alma has been taught that Italians—and Sicilians in particular—are criminals who are little better than animals. Her growing friendship with Francesca, who wants only to get a job so she can build a new life, forces her to rethink those prejudices.
At the time the novel is set, 1902, the press and the government were trying to uncover abusive and fraudulent practices taking place at the famous port of entry for so many immigrants. Alma and Francesca get caught in the middle of the explosive situation and must make a difficult choice between ignoring the wrongdoing or confronting it at the risk of their own wellbeing. Francesca in particular faces potentially disastrous consequences; the novel’s title names the very threat that hangs over her head if she angers the wrong people.
The characters are well-drawn, the plot never lags, and the background about Ellis Island is interesting and appalling in equal measure. Highly recommended.
Ruth Hull Chatlien 