The blurb that describes this as The Martian meets 127 Hours is 1000% accurate. Like, there’s no better way to describe this book. I loved it! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and completely in my feels. Just a powerful story about survival, grief, and forgiveness. Science nerds rejoice because I learned so much random crap from this book about marine biology and diving.

This simultaneously made me want to learn to scuba dive but also never step in the ocean again. I may love horror but there is nothing more terrifying than nature.

4.5 ⭐️

This book was unlike anything else I’ve read. It was so intense and gory, and as someone who studied marine biology, it was fairly accurate!

I highly recommend picking up this book if you like isolation, science-fiction, survival, and personal growth. Very well done!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

This cover really caught my eye because i do love books about the ocean/cruise ships etc and especially when i saw this novel about a whale and a guy being swallowed by one while scuba diving i NEEDED to see how this played out i could not put this book down it was well researched based on everything about a whale and was informative on things i didnt even know about them it takes us on such a thrill ride and it made me feel uncomfortable at times because i couldnt imagine being in this kind of situation omg it was such a well detailed novel till the very end.. This book shows the rifts of jay and his father's relationship as well from jumping back and fourth to flashbacks and present day you really got to know his father and his upbringing ans you also got to know alot about jay and his other family members as well.. After he gets swallowed by the whale this book takes you on such a rollercoaster. I loved the thriller aspect of this novel making the reader not put it down and the thrill ride of not knowing whats going to happen to jay it really makes the reader feel like you're in the situation with him. Jay was a great main lead. This book had such a great concept. At first i was a little hesitant to read a book like this because this is not really a type of book i would pick up because im picky with thrillers and stuff but this one was AMAZING so glad i picked it up! If you want to go on a journey between a man and a whale you will really like this one. This was intense.

This is a modern day Moby Dick in so many ways - Jay Gardiner has decided to face his demons once and for all and scuba dive in an incredibly dangerous area in order to find his father's remains. His father, it is believed, committed suicide and Jay feels that he needs to find the remains to assuage his guilt. As he begins this very dangerous dive we learn about his life growing up under a very strict and angry father. A man who may have been beloved in the community but feared in the home. The cinematic portion of the book begins when Jay is swept into a whale! Can he survive and escape before his oxygen runs out? Gripping, dark, claustrophobic and not for the faint hearted - Whalefall is a modern day one-man odyssey. #DanielKraus
#Whalefall #Atria

Daniel Kraus made me cry. About a sperm whale. Which was NOT what I expected from a survival thriller about a diver swallowed by said sperm whale! But there I was, suddenly crying about whales and their communities and what it means to have a family the pulls you in and protects you when the outside world bites back. Listen, every major horror writer, and blogger, and their cats, have recommended that you read this book, so you don't need me to tell you this isn't a book you want to miss out on. What I will tell you is this, which I didn't anticipate (though having read some of Kraus' other books I probably should have): WHALEFALL is as much about grief, forgiveness, family, and love as it is a harrowing tale of survial about an unfortunate diver having a really bad, pretty gross day.

Wow. This was quite a journey. I was very much not expecting this little book to contain such an intensely emotional and thrilling story. I requested this on Netgalley mainly for the cover, but there's so much more to this book than promised by that amazing image. Here's why I loved this book:

1. THE SCIENCE. I am a science nerd. I have a biology degree, and I grew up reading about different animals and the weird ways their bodies work compared to ours. All the details on ocean life, tides, diving, and the environment around Monterey Bay were so fascinating to read. And my nerdy little science brain absolutely loved reading about the morphology of the sperm whale, both inside and out! I've seen some other reviewers describe it as "gory." In college, this was the kind of information I lived for. I was having the time of my life reading all these fun facts.

2. THE WRITING. The writing style was different, to say the least. The book sometimes reads like Jay's personal stream of consciousness, which took me a few pages to get into. Once I did, however, I felt it was the perfect fit for the story. Jay's emotions aren't told to the reader; we get to experience them with him. When he encounters something he doesn't know and can't explain, readers are right there beside him, figuring it out, too. The style is easy to read, sometimes disjointed, but in the end, it all works just right.

3. THE RELATIONSHIPS. This book grabbed my attention because of the cool sperm whale on the cover, but at its heart, it's a story about a boy and his dad. Jay's dad, Mitt, was, in my opinion, quite the asshole. I don't think I would have experienced nearly as much guilt if I were in Jay's shoes. However, I still really appreciated the in-depth look at their relationship, in all its ugly and heartbreaking glory. Jay wants the approval of his dad. Don't all boys? But after being denied that approval for his entire childhood, as well as putting up with unrealistic expectations and bullying, Jay gives up on his dad. He's still a son, though, and so some part of him still craves that approval and forgiveness. I almost cried at a few passages, and I thought the resolution was just beautiful.

All in all, this was an amazing book that I finished in a day. The story kept me on the edge of my seat, and the relationships kept my emotions always engaged. I really can't think of a way this book could have better catered to the kind of reader (and person) I am. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

**I received an ARC**

Let me begin with saying, Daniel Kraus wrote my favorite book of 2022--Bent Heavens. I was obsessed with that book, so when I saw Whalefall available as an ARC, I knew I need to request it and, thankfully, was approved. For any that have read Bent Heavens, you will see similarities. There is a father/child relationship of the utmost importance included and the father also clings to a book as if it was his form of spirituality, which is then passed down to the child. I will admit I had to Google the experience of being swallowed by a whale, since my daughter and I could only conjure Pinocchio and Jonah as examples, and was happy to see the articles I was reading matched the experience that Jay was going through. I have always had a healthy fear of the ocean and this has increased it tenfold. I definitely felt like I was losing oxygen as the book progressed, which helped with the relationship created with Mitt and Beaky. I was right there with Jay longing for hope and piecing together the memories from his family. Speaking of which, the quote "silky like fish guts, like his sisters' graduation gowns, like his mom's hair", absolutely kicked me in the teeth. And then a little later, we get the guilt trips from Nan, Eva, and Mom trying to get him to see Mitt and I was infuriated. Jay is 17 years old and made to feel like he has to be the bigger person after an incident with his father would have terrified literally anyone. I applaud Jay for staying away, seeking a future elsewhere, and finding his peace in his battle. And thank God for Hewey.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was excited by the premise of this book, it sounded very nerve racking and claustrophobic. I didn’t realize that it’s more about the the main character’s relationship with his father. If you enjoy family dynamics and healing from your past through a traumatic situation, then this is the book for you! Unfortunately it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. I can see others enjoying it though.

An astonishing, moving, fascinating, exciting, beautiful, terrifying, joyful, sad, and lovely adventure that I simply could not put down once I began it. This will appeal to adult and YA readers alike. This is Jaws meets Hatchet, and deserves as big a readership as both. An amazing book and a new favorite.

This is the ultimate story of survival, not just physical survival, but mental and emotional as well.  It's difficult to give a brief synopsis of this one as there are many layers to it, from the physical struggle of surviving being swallowed by a giant sperm whale, to the father/son dynamics that haunt our main character.  What I can say with certainty is that I absolutely loved this story.  I'm still thinking about it nearly a month after finishing it.  This is one of my top five reads for this year, and one that I highly recommend.

I was intrigued and drawn in from the very beginning. I read and read and couldn’t put it down. One of my favorites.

As someone who knowingly suffers from thalassophobia, I knew this was going to be a tense one. I think this is the most anxiety-inducing thing I have ever read!

Lest you think this is just a creature feature, it is not. It is family relationships, trauma, a determined teen, and of course a giant sperm whale!

This is 100% binge read material and perfect for fans of Peter Benchley, Nick Cutter, and pretty much anything in between!

What a ride! Definitely my favorite read of this year. I received an ARC from NetGalley and dove in after seeing so many rave reviews. They weren't wrong. This is a multi-faceted book. On the surface it's a thriller about a teenager who goes searching for his dad's remains and gets swallowed by a whale in the process...but this book goes so much deeper than the surface, it's a story about a turbulent father/son relationship. The way the book is structured the chapters are divided based on either 1) how much air Jay has left in his tank or 2) previous years flashbacks involving his father.

I can't wait for this book to hit the shelves and all the BookTak-ers. I think it's going to big! Like giant, sperm whale-size HUGE!

This was a very quick read. I felt for Jay and the whale, such a descriptive book. Edge of your seat at times, almost felt like I was also going through what jay was going through.

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus is not to be missed!
Jay decides to dive into the notoriously dangerous Monastery Bay to try to retrieve his father's remains. With only an hour of oxygen remaining, he is swallowed by a sperm whale.
What I expected: a unique take on a locked room thriller, maybe Moby Dick vibes
What this book actually is: a heartbreaking exploration of grief, loss, family, and the resilience of the human spirit
I had to sit and let this one marinate for a bit after reading, but I cannot stop thinking about this book. As Jay is trapped and struggles to escape, he reflects on his life and relationship with his deceased father and his other family members. He uses lessons from their relationships to try and escape. Jay begins to "talk" to the whale/his father and we get more insight into their relationship. This book is beautifully written, meticulously researched, and so well done that it is bound to be one of the biggest books of the year.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

As the midwest's third most prominent Melville shitposter, you had me at "obsessed guy on impossible quest fights whale."

Daniel Kraus's Whalefall follows Jay as he tries to escape from a sperm whale's stomach (stomachs?) after he got sucked in while searching for his deceased father's remains on the ocean floor. The novel is claustrophobic as Jay struggles to free himself, which is stressful enough, but what takes this from thriller to horror is the physicality, the body horror. I had so much anxiety while I tore through Whalefall, I'm pretty sure it should count as a core workout.

Though the whale's digestive system is the core of the plot, Jay's relationship with his father, Mitt, is the heart. Mitt was a grizzled and respected diver whose relentless attempts to shape Jay into his image took a toll. Their fraught relationship is revealed through nonlinear flashbacks as Jay's search turns from his father's remains to something else. Unfortunately, I didn't find their relationship as compelling as the rest of the novel; it's a story that appears again and again.

Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC

I loved nearly everything about this book. The idea is so neat and challenging to capture in such a way that the reader can comprehend the setting but Kraus does a great job of making the reader see, feel, smell, and hear all the things. My only criticism is that I think there are too many flashbacks. While mostly effective, they sometimes took me out of the story. It didn't take long to paint the picture of the kind of man Mitt was so some of the flashbacks were overkill. Maybe Mitt could have been less one-dimensional.

I'm a fan of Kraus' books despite being unable to finish at least one of them due to the gross factor and oppressively depressing atmosphere. If you can't handle body horror and animal harm, then skip this one. Looking past the conceit, this is truly a book about difficult father-son relationships, guilt, and letting go.

After reading Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, you can go ahead and add "being swallowed by a Sperm Whale and trapped in its stomach" to the list of things I'm now terrified of. Look, isn't it enough that I suffer from Thalassophobia and the idea of diving around the ocean gives me all sorts of goosebumps? No. Somehow I thought it would be a great idea to follow Jay Gardiner on his trip deep down into the waters and look for the remains of his father. Each new watery incident gave me another dose of anxiety, and with each falling PSI I could feel my pulse pick up. Let's just say this book is even parts terrifying and heartwrenching.

Kraus does an amazing job connecting the thoughts and experiences Jay has on his unfortunate diving trip to the memories he shares with his now-deceased father. Whether these memories are difficult or light-hearted, each of them paves Jay's way into the depth of the Pacific Ocean in his unexpected vessel. Whalefall is a powerful journey about coming to terms with the death of a parent and overcoming the resentment felt for them throughout childhood. It truly is a masterpiece.

The following review appeared in my June 2023 DISPATCHES newsletter. Thank you for providing an ARC! Great read!

"There’s so much buzz out there already concerning Whalefall, and with good reason. This is one of the best books I’ve read in ages. There’s something very special about this story. I couldn’t stop reading it. I was right there with every word. At first, the premise may seem unrealistic or far-fetched, but once you’re in the story, it feels true and terrifying. The research into diving and whale biology is terrific. The biggest truth centered around the fractured relationship between a son and his father. I don’t want to say more without spoiling anything. Whalefall accomplished something remarkable in making me see the world . . . my world . . . in a different way. This is an unforgettable tale. Magnificent storytelling."