Whalefall: A Novel

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A brutal, unsparing, wildly uplifting book. The sheer buoyancy had me breathless by the end." - Clay McLeod Chapman Jay is a 17-year-old boy who recently lost his Dad, Mitt, to mesothelioma and suicide. Mitt spent much of his life in the water, so when he saw the end coming, he weighted himself down and did a whalefall into the ocean. The father and son didn’t have the best relationship, and diving was about the only activity they did together. Jay was Mitt’s only boy, but he is small in stature and sensitive, leading to a lot of ridicule from his father. When Mitt was dying, he begged the family to make Jay come visit him, but Jay refused. While the main action here is the incident with the whale, what this is really about is the complicated relationship between Jay and Mitt, father and son.

Whalefall: A Novel | Welcome to Heartleaf Books Whalefall: A Novel | Welcome to Heartleaf Books

The core of “Whalefall” is a thematic examination of loss, resiliency, and the possibility of healing in people. The ups and downs, chaos and calm, of life and death, are mirrored in Jay’s voyage in nature. Scuba diving is used as a metaphor that effectively conveys Jay’s journey into the depths of his emotions, his fight to come to the surface and the epiphanies that occur along the way. io9: I love that this is, essentially, a ‘lost in space’ book–did any science fiction tropes or motifs make their way into the story itself?Arts Entertainment‘s Richard Abate and Will Rowbotham will serve as exec producers alongside Imagine. To be honest, I think the only other book I’ve ever read about someone being swallowed by a whale was Job in the Bible.

Whalefall Relates a Primal Oceanic Fear Come True - Gizmodo Whalefall Relates a Primal Oceanic Fear Come True - Gizmodo

The examination of family dynamics and the long-term effects of parental connections is central to the story. Jay’s internal monologue reveals his struggle to make sense of the conflict between the father he knew and the father he believed he ought to have. As Jay confronts the residual agony of his past and looks for a feeling of closure that escaped him during Mitt’s existence, this internal conflict serves as the emotional center of the book. The breathtaking Monterey coastline provides an alluring yet perplexing setting for Jay’s emotional journey. The serene beauty of the ocean and the rough terrain contrast sharply with the tumultuous emotional landscapes that Jay travels through. This contrast reflects Jay’s own internal conflict, with the depths of his sorrow, rage, and longing reflecting the icy seas of Monterey Bay. The story seems simple enough. Seventeen-year-old Jay Gardiner sets off on a dangerous quest: to find his father’s bones off the coast of Monastery Beach (aka Mortuary Beach). His relationship with his dad was more tumultuous than any ocean storm, and likely just as complicated. Jay refused to meet with the man prior to his suicide, a final spike in the calloused heart fostered by the man.I read this ARC on a whim, having only barely skimmed the synopsis before diving right into it. Tbh, what I expected was a pretty classic piece of survival fiction with a sprinkle of sci-fi and a dash of legend, but what I got was a story of grief and growing up that was equal parts tender and visceral, celestial and human, mythological and material, researched and raw. I noticed on Goodreads this is classified first as a horror and . . . no. I’d call it The Martian for the marine lover. It will blind you with science, but it is written beautifully. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but I’m so glad Shelby put this on my TBR during our weekly phone chat. A teenage scuba diver has an hour to escape from a whale that has swallowed him before his air runs out in a novel by Daniel Kraus which is like nothing you have read before

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus - Fantastic Fiction Whalefall by Daniel Kraus - Fantastic Fiction

Daniel Kraus's rendering of this tale of survival is brilliant, simply consuming readers alive just as the whale swallowed Jay alive. Throughout the story, the dual battles for survival rage as a boy at the lowest point in his life both physically and mentally perseveres. WHALEFALL is an emotionally laden, scientifically accurate study of the ocean and its creatures as well as the devastating, lifelong destruction of relationships caused by a dysfunctional family. Highly recommended to fans of suspense, horror and beautifully rendered tales of redemption. The profound and multi-layered book “Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus transports readers on an emotional trip through the life of Jay Gardiner, a young man who must contend with the weight of his father’s history and the complexities of his own emotions.

I read the gorgeous hard cover while riding the train to work and the e-book while walking (living dangerously!).