Whale Fall

At just over 200 pages, Whale Fall is a leisurely-paced, atmospheric, and evocative gem of a novel that unfolds with a quiet power as the story’s protagonist, the fiercely perceptive Manod, grapples with the life she wants to live with the limited possibilities available to her. As someone attracted to coastal settings and whales, I was immediately drawn in by the immersive sense of place O’Connor conjures through her spare yet vivid writing. I deeply appreciated how Whale Fall paints the rugged realities of this (fictional) remote island community in Wales while exposing the romanticized notions and flawed research methods the visiting ethnographers Joan and Edward apply to Manod and her community. After finishing this novel, I was impressed to learn it was Elizabeth O’Connor’s debut, so I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for her next book.