Scan barcode
A review by sevenlefts
The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World by Patrik Svensson
4.0
Equal parts memoir and natural history, this book was a delight to read.
Interspersed with facts about the still mysterious life cycle of the European freshwater eel (Anguilla anguilla), Svensson describes eel fishing with his father as a young boy.
I don't really think about eels much, other than that they’re kind of scary and gross. But they’re weird creatures, and interesting in that they don't display sex characteristics until just before they spawn, which may take place anywhere between their 10th and 80th year of life - who knows? And that they start and end (we assume) their lives in the sea -- sort of the opposite of salmon. They don't have any particular place to go once they reach Europe in their tiny juvenile stage -- any river, lake, creek, swamp or well that is even remotely reachable from the sea will do. And there they do their thing for decades, hunting and slithering around in murky water in the dark. They’re hard to find, hard to see and hard to track. They don't give up their secrets easily.
Svenson writes about their life cycle and the particular perils they face, their numbers dwindling annually. They may not be the sexiest or most loveable creature facing extinction, but they are unique and as deserving of a future as any species. And the symbolic role that eels play in the author's relationship with his father is so well told.
The last chapter is beautifully written (or translated -- or both). Read this book!
Interspersed with facts about the still mysterious life cycle of the European freshwater eel (Anguilla anguilla), Svensson describes eel fishing with his father as a young boy.
I don't really think about eels much, other than that they’re kind of scary and gross. But they’re weird creatures, and interesting in that they don't display sex characteristics until just before they spawn, which may take place anywhere between their 10th and 80th year of life - who knows? And that they start and end (we assume) their lives in the sea -- sort of the opposite of salmon. They don't have any particular place to go once they reach Europe in their tiny juvenile stage -- any river, lake, creek, swamp or well that is even remotely reachable from the sea will do. And there they do their thing for decades, hunting and slithering around in murky water in the dark. They’re hard to find, hard to see and hard to track. They don't give up their secrets easily.
Svenson writes about their life cycle and the particular perils they face, their numbers dwindling annually. They may not be the sexiest or most loveable creature facing extinction, but they are unique and as deserving of a future as any species. And the symbolic role that eels play in the author's relationship with his father is so well told.
The last chapter is beautifully written (or translated -- or both). Read this book!