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iam's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Vomit, Body horror, Grief, and Cancer
Moderate: Alcohol, Self harm, and Suicide
pvp_niki's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Cancer, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Gore, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Vomit and Cursing
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Alcohol
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Warnings:
- Emphasis on "interminable" - if you're looking for a plot heavy thriller, this is not for you. Even for me it dragged on.
- Nonlinear timeline, mimics memories bubbling up. I love this style but it's polarizing.
- Many graphic descriptions of injury and slogging through slow confused obstinate thoughts.
The acknowledgement of covid in 2021-onward parts of the timeline was startling (how long until it isn't anymore?) but it's merely part of the setting, not part of the story at least.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Animal death, Body horror, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Suicide, Cancer, Confinement, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
meganpbell's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Terminal illness, Suicide, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Grief, and Blood
aparker89's review
- 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
3.75
While it seems a little ridiculously with the whole Jonah being swallowed by a whale, this author works hard to ensure scientific accuracy without bogging us down with too much information!
I really enjoyed this story. It is captivating, riveting and pulls at your heart strings!
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide
frenchsnail's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol