Second is
The North Water by Ian McGuire. While the story itself doesn't have any overt astrological ties in the plot description, both words of the title do. Each sign of the Chinese zodiac is associated with one of the four cardinal directions including north, and each sign of the western and the Chinese zodiac is associated with one of four or five elements including water. The setting is also near/in the arctic circle which many people associate with stars, constellations and night since certain times of year night can last for a long time and with phenomena such as aurora borealis. This book was nominated for quite a few awards including the Booker.
Goodreads .
Preview . 325 Pages . 2016 . England
Quote:
Behold the man: stinking, drunk, and brutal. Henry Drax is a harpooner on the Volunteer, a Yorkshire whaler bound for the rich hunting waters of the arctic circle. Also aboard for the first time is Patrick Sumner, an ex-army surgeon with a shattered reputation, no money, and no better option than to sail as the ship's medic on this violent, filthy, and ill-fated voyage.
In India, during the Siege of Delhi, Sumner thought he had experienced the depths to which man can stoop. He had hoped to find temporary respite on the Volunteer, but rest proves impossible with Drax on board. The discovery of something evil in the hold rouses Sumner to action. And as the confrontation between the two men plays out amid the freezing darkness of an arctic winter, the fateful question arises: who will survive until spring?
With savage, unstoppable momentum and the blackest wit, Ian McGuire's The North Water weaves a superlative story of humanity under the most extreme conditions.
'A tour de force' Hilary Mantel
'Riveting and darkly brilliant' Colm Tóibín
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