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iam's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
To be completely fair to the book, I was fully aware that this wouldn't be entirely up to my speed. But I am committed to finding more SciFi/deep sea horror books, so I gave it a chance.
The SciFi part felt misleading to me. I guess it is a much broader term than I like to think, but for me it implied a futuristic setting, or speculating about sciences, but this was... none of that. Maybe some people count the "getting swallowed by a whale" scenario as speculative and scientific, but.... nah, not to me in this case. If it had been more focussed on the horror or science of it, maybe, but that's not what this way.
I cannot entirely speak to the realism and scientific accurary of the book, about sperm whale and other oceanic animal behaviour and anatomy.
That said, the main focus of the book was not the science or horror of getting swallowed by a whale. Instead it's about family relationships, maybe the dysfunctional dynamic between the protagonist, teenager Jay, and his father. I expected that, so I was ready for the constant and numerous flashbacks. I found them a bit disjointed, but they frequently fed perfectly into the happenings of the current "present tense" timeline, which I appreciated.
What I didn't entirely appreciate or expect was the almost spiritual elements. While inside the whale, Jay hears and talks to a voice, which is seemingly his father and the whale in one being. It was bizarre, though I sort of compmarentalized it as that phenomenon when someone in a life or death situation hears an outside voice telling them how to act. In a way that makes sense to me, too, as that is exactly what happens, with Jay remembering past conversations and experiences with his family that help him deal with the situations he's in.
However, some of the things just seemed a bit too convenient, or bizarre. Like the whale just HAPPENING to have swallowed exactly the things that Jay needs to survive. Or Jay being able to tell the whale to call for help when it gets attacked by Orcas, and there being a whole massive showdown between a pod of orcas and a bunch of sperm whales??? I may be completely wrong, but idk, that just broke my suspension of disbelief.
To keep it short: overall I this was a rounded story with a quite satisfying ending. However, I wasn't a fan of the execution or themes, but I knew that going in. It could have been a solid three star read for me, but the part towards the end that tries to absolve the abusive father of any guilt and says it's actually also the son's fault that he was abused, knocked that down for me.
The SciFi part felt misleading to me. I guess it is a much broader term than I like to think, but for me it implied a futuristic setting, or speculating about sciences, but this was... none of that. Maybe some people count the "getting swallowed by a whale" scenario as speculative and scientific, but.... nah, not to me in this case. If it had been more focussed on the horror or science of it, maybe, but that's not what this way.
I cannot entirely speak to the realism and scientific accurary of the book, about sperm whale and other oceanic animal behaviour and anatomy.
That said, the main focus of the book was not the science or horror of getting swallowed by a whale. Instead it's about family relationships, maybe the dysfunctional dynamic between the protagonist, teenager Jay, and his father. I expected that, so I was ready for the constant and numerous flashbacks. I found them a bit disjointed, but they frequently fed perfectly into the happenings of the current "present tense" timeline, which I appreciated.
What I didn't entirely appreciate or expect was the almost spiritual elements. While inside the whale, Jay hears and talks to a voice, which is seemingly his father and the whale in one being. It was bizarre, though I sort of compmarentalized it as that phenomenon when someone in a life or death situation hears an outside voice telling them how to act. In a way that makes sense to me, too, as that is exactly what happens, with Jay remembering past conversations and experiences with his family that help him deal with the situations he's in.
However, some of the things just seemed a bit too convenient, or bizarre. Like the whale just HAPPENING to have swallowed exactly the things that Jay needs to survive. Or Jay being able to tell the whale to call for help when it gets attacked by Orcas, and there being a whole massive showdown between a pod of orcas and a bunch of sperm whales??? I may be completely wrong, but idk, that just broke my suspension of disbelief.
To keep it short: overall I this was a rounded story with a quite satisfying ending. However, I wasn't a fan of the execution or themes, but I knew that going in. It could have been a solid three star read for me, but the part towards the end that tries to absolve the abusive father of any guilt and says it's actually also the son's fault that he was abused, knocked that down for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Gore, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, and Alcohol
cluelessavian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism and Child abuse
Minor: Car accident
Father against "Fragile Masculinity," Acid Burnswrenhavenriver's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Gore
jadeyfish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved it! Very tense for the majority of the book, ended up reading it all in one sitting. If you’re looking for something reflective/thought provoking that will keep you engaged the whole time, this is that book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Death of parent
mareliweb1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Really neat story line and really great writing! Great but disguising descriptions of jay in the whale. I really don’t like how jay had to injure and kill the whale to escape!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
goodnekovibes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
kjurewicz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
When I first picked up this book, I was curious how the author would make such a simple concept (a diver being swallowed by a whale) last for 300 pages. And I was not disappointed. I liked the way that the author interspersed present time (marked by Jay’s PSI) with flashbacks to the past. It made the pacing a lot faster, especially since each chapter was short. I found myself rooting for Jay by the end, despite the fact that I found him to be unlikable (although I had to keep reminding myself that he is 17 and therefore is expected to make stupid decisions). I thought the symbolism of the whale made sense, though was a bit heavy-handed. It took a while to get used to the writing style (but when I saw he was inspired by Ralph Ellison, it made sense), but I thought the use of scientific facts balanced out the inner dialogue. The ending was also sad, yet satisfying.
Overall, I liked this book and think it is a good fit for some who likes adventurous reads or has a complex parental relationship, especially YA/New Adult.
Overall, I liked this book and think it is a good fit for some who likes adventurous reads or has a complex parental relationship, especially YA/New Adult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Gore
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
sofiaaaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book hooked me from the start and kept me on my toes throughout. The story itself felt like a mix of “Life of Pi”, “Castaway”, and “127 hours”. Lots more gore than I was expecting, but I felt it added to the experience of being inside the whale itself. The family dynamics were heartbreaking and Jay’s internal struggle was very raw and real. All in all there was a lot to this story that kept me coming back for more, plus the short chapters and flashbacks made it a quick read. I’m a sucker for deep-ocean stories and this transported me there, very solid read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
rachelfayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Death of parent
bootsmom3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury