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When Daniel Putkowski wasn’t riding aboard tugboats in the Delaware River or loading barges at Pier 3, Girard Point, in Philadelphia, he was writing. And writing, and writing. Known by his friends as a born storyteller, Putkowski amassed a 1,200 page first draft of his debut novel, An Island Away (Hawser Press, May 2008), the volume of which shocked even him. “The characters continued to spin the story, so I continued to write,” Putkowski admits. “I was amazed when I realized the size of the work I’d created.” After carefully trimming 200 pages, an editor helped him get the rest of the way. “My editor convinced me that I had actually written more than one book. After seeing that my manuscript was a book and a sequel, the fine-tuning process became much easier and less painful.” The final result is still hefty at just under 500 pages, but Putkowski does not subscribe to today’s cult of brevity. “I prefer long books and I know I’m not alone. Some of my favorite books exceed 600, 700, even 800 pages. I didn’t want to sell my characters short by not giving them enough room to tell the whole story.”
A creative person from the start, Putkowski only developed his marine business after a failed attempt to join the small club known as the movie industry. With a BFA degree in film under his belt from New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, Putkowski quickly realized that “Starving Artist” wasn’t something he wanted on his resume. He returned to NYU to earn an MBA and eventually achieved some fame of sorts, as the largest builder of artificial reefs in the country. It was this unusual profession that ultimately provided the subject for his book. “I traveled to Aruba for the first time in 1994, looking to develop artificial reefs for sport divers. I soon became enamored with the island and now spend about half my year there.” Full of interesting, international characters, Aruba provided all the inspiration Putkowski needed to spin his tale.
Over the years, the author made plenty of friends in Aruba, mostly in the refinery town of San Nicolaas. The stunning contrast between gritty San Nicolaas and the pristine beaches and hotels on the other end of the island struck Putkowski immediately. “I became fascinated with the life stories of people living and working in the shadow of Aruba’s refinery. The atmosphere of the place is a writer’s dream.” Putkowski has decorated his story with local bars housed in aging buildings which are so skillfully described that the reader can smell the whiskey. The rich and poor alike pass through these locales and their interaction stirs a pot of myriad social issues, most notably prostitution. As the main characters’ lives become entwined, their choices are likely to spark much passionate debate among readers. This part of the Caribbean is rarely seen, and in Putkowski’s capable hands, it leaves you wanting more. Good thing the sequel, Under a Blue Flag, is already in the works.
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