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courtwj's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness
sarahbythebook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I expected more of a thrilling tale of harrowing escape. I got a psychedelic trip with a sentient whale and a young man capable is withstanding insane amounts of physical pain.
Whalefall is less about Jay’s struggles inside an aged sperm whale and more about his horrible relationship with his father, now totally lost to him due to suicide.
Was this the book I was expecting? No. But I did still enjoy it.
The oceanic science and research into whales is clearly well done. It’s easy to get a bit lost in the technicalities of diving equipment and marine life that sets the backdrop to Jay’s misadventure. Since the ocean freaks me out, I was expecting the thriller aspect to be a bit stronger, but the constant back and forth in time and the self-reflection broke that up in the first half. The second half flew by.
There were a few things that threw me off totally enjoying this book:
1. At some point, the human mind will shut down from pain and a person will pass out. The amount of injuries Jay sustains makes me think he would have been well past that point, making survival unlikely.
2. The sentient whale/dad was confusing and seemed like a step away from the careful research that went into whale biology. Not bad, just weird.
3. This boy needs therapy, and the experience in the whale does not take away from the horrid childhood Jay. I don’t like that the ending makes it seem like all is understood. And shame on his mom and sisters for pressuring and blaming him through the whole thing.
I expected more of a thrilling tale of harrowing escape. I got a psychedelic trip with a sentient whale and a young man capable is withstanding insane amounts of physical pain.
Whalefall is less about Jay’s struggles inside an aged sperm whale and more about his horrible relationship with his father, now totally lost to him due to suicide.
Was this the book I was expecting? No. But I did still enjoy it.
The oceanic science and research into whales is clearly well done. It’s easy to get a bit lost in the technicalities of diving equipment and marine life that sets the backdrop to Jay’s misadventure. Since the ocean freaks me out, I was expecting the thriller aspect to be a bit stronger, but the constant back and forth in time and the self-reflection broke that up in the first half. The second half flew by.
There were a few things that threw me off totally enjoying this book:
1. At some point, the human mind will shut down from pain and a person will pass out. The amount of injuries Jay sustains makes me think he would have been well past that point, making survival unlikely.
2. The sentient whale/dad was confusing and seemed like a step away from the careful research that went into whale biology. Not bad, just weird.
3. This boy needs therapy, and the experience in the whale does not take away from the horrid childhood Jay. I don’t like that the ending makes it seem like all is understood. And shame on his mom and sisters for pressuring and blaming him through the whole thing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
shelby_7664's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
While diving in an attempt to find his deceased father's remains, Jay witnesses something that few people have ever seen- a giant squid, alive and floating in front of him. The situation quickly turns deadly when a sperm whale comes to eat the squid and Jay becomes entangled in the squid's tentacles and is swallowed along with it. Jay must figure out a way to escape before his oxygen runs out.
I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and great for readers who like scientific elements included in their thrillers. I appreciated author's attention to detail, although warning to anyone with a sensitive stomach- there are some pretty gnarly descriptions of injuries and the contents of a whale's stomach. The discussions and realizations surrounding Jay's tumultuous relationship with his father gave the story real depth (pun intended), made me cry, and I think will resonate with a lot of people.
I would recommend this to people who enjoyed Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Devolution by Max Brooks, and Artemis by Andy Weir.
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of Whalefall from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and great for readers who like scientific elements included in their thrillers. I appreciated author's attention to detail, although warning to anyone with a sensitive stomach- there are some pretty gnarly descriptions of injuries and the contents of a whale's stomach. The discussions and realizations surrounding Jay's tumultuous relationship with his father gave the story real depth (pun intended), made me cry, and I think will resonate with a lot of people.
I would recommend this to people who enjoyed Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Devolution by Max Brooks, and Artemis by Andy Weir.
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of Whalefall from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
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