Seattle Author Sees Beauty in Beach Rubble

Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam First find your pulse points and then add some whale barf. Beauty certainly has its price. And for perfume connoisseurs the price lies either in the act of spritzing eau de marine-mammal vomit on their wrists and throat or simply the cost of the fine fragrances containing it. Ambergris, a waxy substance regurgitated by sperm whales, is that secret ingredient, and it can be worth more than its weight in gold. You cannot farm the stuff—think of the fish tank you would need—so it is up to sailors and beachcombers to find it. In Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam, Skye Moody culls together stories of ambergris and other coveted finds: the pink propeller of a toy airplane, the oddly light stone she agonizes over leaving behind, and the seashells and beach glass loved by so many. Moody reinvents the experience of walking down a dirty beach with some historical tales that hit and personal stories—including one about puke—that miss. Think of the finds.

 

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