Lord Jim: Joseph Conrad

I kept thinking of the Titanic when reading this, though the outcome was happier. Jim, a crew member of a sinking vessel, literally jumped ship to save himself before the passengers, as did the rest of the crew. The passengers end up being rescued and their cowardliness is brought to light. Jim is the only one who goes to trial and cannot forgive himself for his actions. The story is pieced together by a friend named Marlow as he attempts to discover what happened to Jim. Jim ended up settling on a small island and getting married only to find the past still haunted him and eventually leads to his death. A sad story where the protagonist never seemed to be able to find peace or happiness.