Stephen McGinty - Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster

(Macmillan)

SCOTTISH HISTORY

The Scotsman journalist Stephen McGinty’s Fire in the Night is a moment-by-hideous-moment account of the Piper Alpha oil platform disaster in which 167 men died, and published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the event, on 6 July. Stitched together from survivor statements, taken mostly from Lord Cullen’s public inquiry into the disaster, McGinty has created, as he puts it, an anatomy of an inferno, imposing order and understanding on terrifying chaos.

Transcripts of Cullen ran to over six million words, and one senses that McGinty felt overwhelmed by the amount of information; his narrative, at times, feels cluttered and slowed by detail. Yet, overall, this is an important book, executed masterfully, which should serve as an accessible record of a historical tragedy. Impressive, too, is his careful use of spare language, saving the sentiment and heightened prose for a flourish right at the end, by which time it is earned, appropriate and heart-wrenchingly effective.

More: Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster, History, Piper Alpha, Scottish, Stephen McGinty, Reviews (Books)

Comments

1. David, Scotland – 29 July 2008, 9:36pmReport

I found this book to be a compelling and gripping read. The subject of Piper Alpha has been covered many times through various media. It could be argued that it is now time to let the dead rest in peace and the survivors move on with their lives. However on this occassion the author has managed to provide a highly detailed account whilst at the same time capturing the will to survive and comradeship these man displayed at a dark hour in their lives. Piper Alpha was a turning point in offshore safety. This book is a fitting tribute to the men who lost their lives but not in vein.

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