It is 1938 and on an island off the coast of Wales, Manod is trying to imagine her future. Her choices are stark: she must either stay and look after her father's house, in the wild landscape that drove her mother to madness, or marry and leave. And so, when two English anthropologists arrive on the island, Manod senses the possibility of a thrilling new life. But, as she becomes entangled in their work, and their strange relationship, the outside world she had yearned for appears a much darker place than she could ever have imagined.
Elizabeth O’Connor’s beautiful, devastating debut Whale Fall tells a story of longing and betrayal set against the backdrop of a world on the edge of great tumult.
First Published: 2024
Pages: 225
Genre: Historical Fiction
Amazon Rating: 4.0 out of 5 from 1,347 reviews
Our review in brief:
| 1. Rating: 8.1 out of 10 One member scored the book 9.8. |
| 2. Recommended: The majority of the group would recommend the Whale Fall. It was a real "marmite" book. 2 out of 10 members really did not like it, but the rest did. |
| 3. Audience: The book would suit all age groups. It was not gender specific. It was "a coming of age" book, so may well suit teenagers. |
| 4. Type of Read: The language of the book was easy. It was not a page turner, but was a pleasant story, although sad in places. |
| 5. Quality of the Author: The majority of the group said they would read another story by this author, but it would depend on the subject. |
| 6. Other Observations: One member summed up the book as "powerfully simple". Another said it was "a slice of life" rather than a story with a complex plot There were some inconsistencies in the book, but this did not take away from the overall enjoyment. |