Reviews

Doggerland by Ben Smith

Only show reviews with written explanations

The setting of this novel is utterly intriguing. Two men manning and repairing a desolate North Sea wind farm of turbines from which they cannot leave. The protagonist is a young man who is there to replace his father who went missing and so he must see out his father's duties.

I definitely enjoyed aspects of this. But some of it felt too technical and sparse in story. I wondered if there might be some reveal or something that echoes our climate crisis from a near-future perspective. Yet it didn't really materialise.

I borrowed this audiobook using the Libby app from my local library. Support your local library!

manoeklambregts's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

carabp's review against another edition

Go to review page

slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

jillysmith's review

Go to review page

dark sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A maudlin journey in the climate fiction genre, the story of the Boy and the Old Man who work on rig ponders the futility of individual action against climate change

Content Warnings

rosiebart's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Waiting for Godot in a post apocalyptic world. I found it sad, funny, mysterious and heartbreaking. An excellent read. I guess you could call the ending unsatisfying but I thought it was brilliant and the perfect way to close out.

apk98's review

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

caz_the_calzone's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

nickmasters's review

Go to review page

4.0

Doggerland is certainly an atmospheric, beautifully written, almost poetic work of literature. The character interactions are superb, the landscape is engrossing, and the portrayal of the futility and mundaneness of life is exceptional and even tangible.

Even though all these aspects come together brilliantly, I just couldn’t imagine people’s spirit could be so bereft that even interpersonal relationships are so squandered. Although perhaps that would be the result of time having essentially no relevance, due to the lack of anything ever changing, or at least one having no influence on the ability for things to change. For the sake of the story though, it allowed the intricacies of the relationship between the Boy and the Old Man to evolve quite spectacularly, even though it seemed that on the surface neither one ever expected anything from the other.

Additionally I loved the portrayal of life on earth as a mere blip in the continual evolution of the planet, highlighting the futility of our actions in the greater scheme of things.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.