The CayA Puffin Book stories that last a lifetime A tense and compulsive survival story of a young boy and an old man adrift on the ocean, then marooned on a tiny, deserted island. It is also a fascinating study of the relationship between Phillip, white, American, and influenced by his mother's prejudices, and the black man upon whom Phillip's life depends. The Cay offers readers an engaging and thought provoking narrative about survival, trust, and the