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fatfatrat's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Grief, and Suicide
Minor: Vomit and Pandemic/Epidemic
ricksilva's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A story about a diver who is literally swallowed by a sperm whale.
Much of the plot is spent awash in digestive juices. And symbolism.
This was really one 0f the more batsh*t-insane books I've read, and in spite of it's attention to realistic detail, it's really a succession of one ridiculously unlikely event after another to the point where it can't possibly get any more crazy. And then it does.
Seventeen-year-old Jay Gardiner spent his childhood trying to live up to his father's impossibly high standards as an ultra-macho legend in the Monterey Bay diving community. Until he finally couldn't take it and left home, leaving his father to die of cancer without a reconciliation.
Enter whale. Literally.
Jay struggles to escape the whale while he struggles with unresolved daddy-issues, and they whole thing is so completely over-the-top that it actually works. The realistic (if barely remotely possible) scientific details are great, as is the flavor of the setting and the dynamics of Jay and his family. Jay himself is an intriguing character, and a great foil for the also-over-the-top dad, Mitch.
This story is probably not going to appeal to everyone, and thalassophobes should definitely stear clear, but I found myself reveling in the absurdity and very much enjoying the ride.
Much of the plot is spent awash in digestive juices. And symbolism.
This was really one 0f the more batsh*t-insane books I've read, and in spite of it's attention to realistic detail, it's really a succession of one ridiculously unlikely event after another to the point where it can't possibly get any more crazy. And then it does.
Seventeen-year-old Jay Gardiner spent his childhood trying to live up to his father's impossibly high standards as an ultra-macho legend in the Monterey Bay diving community. Until he finally couldn't take it and left home, leaving his father to die of cancer without a reconciliation.
Enter whale. Literally.
Jay struggles to escape the whale while he struggles with unresolved daddy-issues, and they whole thing is so completely over-the-top that it actually works. The realistic (if barely remotely possible) scientific details are great, as is the flavor of the setting and the dynamics of Jay and his family. Jay himself is an intriguing character, and a great foil for the also-over-the-top dad, Mitch.
This story is probably not going to appeal to everyone, and thalassophobes should definitely stear clear, but I found myself reveling in the absurdity and very much enjoying the ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was dark and haunting and harrowing. I am certain it is going to stick to my ribs for a long time.
This book is about fathers and sons and family and grief. It is about love and loss and guilt and growth. It is about death and the desperate urgency to survive horrifying situations. It is about the ocean and the almost alien life inside it. It is about horrors both natural and man-made in origin and it is about hope.
I like my science fiction best when it is grounded firmly in realistic and believable science and Daniel Kraus met that expectation fantastically. The horror was built in layers of realism I genuinely didn't expect.
This book is about fathers and sons and family and grief. It is about love and loss and guilt and growth. It is about death and the desperate urgency to survive horrifying situations. It is about the ocean and the almost alien life inside it. It is about horrors both natural and man-made in origin and it is about hope.
I like my science fiction best when it is grounded firmly in realistic and believable science and Daniel Kraus met that expectation fantastically. The horror was built in layers of realism I genuinely didn't expect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Fire/Fire injury
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: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Vomit, Body horror, Grief, and Cancer
Moderate: Alcohol, Self harm, and Suicide
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: Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Blood, Gore, Animal death, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Cancer, Suicide, and Confinement
Moderate: Alcoholism and Child abuse
Minor: Car accident
Father against "Fragile Masculinity," Acid Burnswrenhavenriver's review
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, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Animal death, and Child abuse
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: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, and Cancer
sofiaaaaa's review
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, Blood, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Gore
localpeachthief's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide
Intense and emotional. I wasn't prepared for this. Just as much about Jay's relationship with his dad as it is about being inside a whale. I should have read the author bio first because I also wasn't prepared for the explicit descriptions of illness, injuries, and whale innards.inirac's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
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
4.25
While I enjoyed this book I strongly recommended checking out the content warnings. I know nothing about diving or whales, but I have been in the area the characters discuss!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Cancer, Body horror, Blood, Grief, Terminal illness, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders