What a captivating, heart-rendering book Whale Fall is. I sat down to read and didn’t stop, it was a one session read for me. There is an ache and melancholy to Whale Fall that draws you in immediately. The contained setting mixed with lead character Manod’s coming-of-age story works so well.
Opening sentence: Here is an island year.
Another way of life
Set on a small, remote Welsh island in the 1930s – Whale Fall tells the story of Manod. Born and bred on the island, two events happen in a short space of time to put a spin on her day-to-day and make her question what it is she really wants from life. To push the boundaries of the island she has known all her life.
The island was three miles long and one mile wide, with a lighthouse marking the eastern point and a dark cave marking the west.
An unusual occurrence: a whale washes up on the shore of the island, sparking interest from the islanders and drawing attention from the mainland in the form of Joan and Edward. They arrive on the island shortly after the whale appears with the intent of studying the islanders’ way of life, for anthropological reasons.
Manod lives with her father and sister, Llinos. Her mother is dead, her father is remote and her sister often speaks only in Welsh, to further isolate herself. It’s no surprise that Joan and Edward are such an instant attraction to her.
Haunting details
Haunting details – like no-one on the island knowing how to swim – are thrown into the mix and really heighten the sense of isolation and other-worldliness of the island inhabitants.
‘It’s truly amazing,‘ Joan said. ‘The way you live.‘
Whale Fall is spliced through with the accounts Joan and Edward are writing for their research and they don’t quite match up with the reality of the island. They are projecting a version of life that isn’t there and there is a tension that thrums through as we – the reader – can see what they really up to but it isn’t obvious to Manod.
Wonderfully written, I very much enjoyed reading this and highly recommend you spend some time in Manod’s company soon.
- Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC;
- Get your copy of Whale Fall here;
- Published by Picador 25th April 2024;
- 224 pages;
- Book review rating:
Books on the 7:47 
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