A New Sensation

An ailing novelist seeks diversion by advertising for a female typist to accompany him on a voyage and sets off on a Caribbean trip that intertwines recovery, romance, and social complications. The narrative traces his courtship attempts and rebuffs, the developing relationships with women who reply to his advertisement, and episodic incidents on ship and shore including theft, gambling, bathing scenes, a nighttime struggle, and a marriage ring that complicates loyalties. Interwoven are reflections on health, desire, morality, and the consequences of impulsive behavior, resolved through confrontations, legal trouble, and personal reckonings before the story reaches its conclusion.