I could smell the ocean, hear the kittiwakes and gannets and feel the isolation instantly in this amazing debut novel. Manor Llan is a young woman who lives on a remote Welsh island with her father and younger sister Llinos. The population is shrinking with only a few fishermen and their families left. A dead beached whale and the arrival of two ethnographers cause Manod to think about her options for leaving the island for a better life or staying to help care for her sister. The symbolism of the dead whale and its usefulness to society compared to this dwindling community is not lost on the reader. Manod enjoys the simplicity of her life but is enticed by the ethnographers and the attention paid to her. Elizabeth O’Connor is a wonderful storyteller letting us feel the struggles and pain of the main character Manod.

4.5 actually

Thank you to #Pantheon, #Knopf, #Vintage, #Anchor and #NetGalley for the DRC of #Whale Fall.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

In the literary tapestry of Elizabeth O’Connor’s debut novel, “Whale Fall,” readers are transported to a remote island off the coast of Wales in 1938, where the fabric of a small community is as intricate and fragile as the ecosystem surrounding it. The novel centers on Manod, an eighteen-year-old girl whose life is as rugged and windswept as the island she calls home.

O’Connor’s prose is as haunting as the whale fall that becomes the novel’s central metaphor—a symbol of both death and life, of endings that give way to new beginnings. The narrative is a poignant exploration of visibility and invisibility, of the ways in which we are seen by others and how that gaze shapes our own self-perception.

Manod’s journey is one of self-discovery, set against the backdrop of a world on the brink of war and a community grappling with its own survival. Her interactions with the English ethnographers, Edward and Joan, serve as a catalyst for her awakening, not just to her own desires and ambitions but also to the beauty and value of her culture and way of life.

“Whale Fall” is a novel that deftly examines the tension between the known and the unknown, the familiar and the foreign. It is a story that resonates with the current global climate of change and uncertainty, making it a timely and timeless read. O’Connor’s narrative is a reminder of the delicate balance between preserving one’s heritage and embracing the possibilities of the future.

With its lyrical language and deep emotional resonance, “Whale Fall” is a novel that will linger in the minds and hearts of readers long after the last page is turned. It is a testament to the power of storytelling and its ability to connect us to the most profound aspects of human experience. This book is a must-read for those who appreciate the interplay of history, culture, and personal growth within the realm of fiction.

Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon for allowing me to read and review Whale Fall on NetGalley.

Published: 05/07/24

Stars: 3.5

O'Connor did a fabulous job on the length of the story. Her storytelling is good. Albeit I was bored at times and found my mind wandering. This is a subject and period I would rather see than read.

I recommend slowly reading, letting each chapter resonate for the full effect of the life.

I would like to reread this in the winter; I think the effect will be different. I will appreciate the writing then.

What a beautifully written debut novel. Reminds me of Claire Keegan in its ability to pack so much into a short amount of pages. Tons of beautiful imagery fully immersing you in life on a small isolated Welsh island with folklore, traditions and songs embedded in the story. Manod has lost her mother and is raising her younger sister on an isolated island just before the beginning of WWII. A whale becomes stranded on shore and brings attention and two visitors from the mainland documenting life on the island but their intentions and motives may not be pure. Manod struggles with staying on the island with the people she loves or following her longing for a different life on the mainland. Rich, brilliant and stunning debut.

I should have absolutely loved this story. It has the sort of setting, characters and themes that are clear indicators of five stars to me. And don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but I have a few issues that made me feel too detached from the story.
Thought the simplistic and bleak writing style was definitely intentional, I found it didn’t work for me. Instead of delivering the story as a gut punch, it actually left me disinterested in it. It was a very weird experience - I could appreciate the story as the carefully crafted piece of art that it was and yet still have no enthusiasm for reading it.
I also found the relationships to be underdeveloped, perhaps due to the short page count, but nonetheless frustratingly so. They felt very one-dimensional and like archetypes I’ve seen countless times before, ultimately bringing nothing new to the table.
While the main character’s story was compelling and her internal struggles were well-depicted, her personality and character itself felt very lacking. Once again, I can see that it was most likely intentional, but it did not work here as well as I had seen in some other works of literature. She felt like a tool for the author to portray their ideas instead of actual living human being, and so, no matter how interesting those ideas were, the story fell flat.
I did enjoy the themes of the novel. The main character struggles with wanting to seek out resources and opportunities beyond her closed off island yet battles the desire to remain and preserve the culture in her rapidly shrinking community (and feels defensive against Western critiques and perceptions of it). As someone who has emigrated from a second world country to the ultimate Western nations - the UK and the US - I felt this internal confusion strongly. I think Whale Fall adds interesting conversation to the contemporary challenges of those within underdeveloped communities, especially the minorities, who want the acceptance not present in their current livelihoods yet simultaneously feel the urge to protect them.
Overall, this is an interesting short novel that, because of its size, I would recommend those interested in it pick up. It fell short in some ways, but ultimately it was an interesting exploration of identity within small communities!

Whale Fall was a beautiful, cozy read with surprising depth in the characters, setting, and plot. The prose is tastefully artistic, darting between recountings of island folklore to the protagonist's hopes, dreams, and modest island life. The story explores people's lives on a fictional Welsh island at the cusp of WWII, whose inhabitants are abandoning their homes to live on the mainland. Our protagonist is torn between these two worlds, trying desperately to fit in with the modern English visitors, while remaining loyal to her family, culture, and customs. There's also an insidious undercurrent around the power imbalance between men and women, researchers and subjects, and among socioeconomic classes. Truly a lot to impart to the reader in less than 250 pages, while remaining a great book to read casually.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishers for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this short read. The dialect and certain verbiage used was intimidating at first but it made the story more authentic. Once I got past this, I really got into the story and wanted the best for the characters. While I could say this book could have been made longer with more character and relationship development, I appreciate that the author got to the point - none of those other details matter to the specific plot of the book.

Whale Fall is a debut novel from Elizabeth O’Connor set on a small island off the coast of Wales during the late 1930s. The novel follows a teenage girl, Manod, whose yearning to explore and see the world conflicts with her roots to her family and homeland. Excitement comes to the island when a dead whale washes up onto the island bringing two researchers from Oxford to the island.

Elizabeth O'Connor's writing is beautiful - it's especially good considering it's a debut. The descriptions of the natural world, in particular, are vivid and contemplative, giving a really strong sense of place. It's not a very big or fast-moving plot, but the characters and setting leave a lot to reflect on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

If I could go back, I'd approach this book as more of a slow commentary on the way outsiders can influence a society in subtle and less of a story with a clear and dramatic outcome of these outsiders. I kept waiting for some big things to occur and nothing ever did, but the beauty of the book was in the small, insidious ways that the outsiders coming to observe changed the way people on the island interacted with each other and behaved in general. Like a literary fiction novel, there isn't a huge resolution here, but you're left with a feeling of loss in the way the culture is disappearing.

I read somewhere that the author's own grandparents came from small, depopulated islands in Wales and Ireland, so it makes sense that she situated the story in Wales. Yet, I couldn't help but think about how much deeper the impact of anthropologists and other outsiders has been on more isolated cultures with completely different traditions, languages, etc. Still, if depopulated islands in the British Isles are of particular interest to you, this is worth a read.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

(Thanks to @pantheonbooks #gifted.) Elizabeth O’Connor, a debut author, has written a bleak story of a young woman’s desperate longing for escape in her slim novel 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟. Eighteen year old Manod lives on a small island off the Welsh coast. Only 12 families inhabit the island, and, as children grow up, they often leave. It’s 1938 when at the start of fall a whale is beached on the island. Soon after, a pair of anthropologists arrive to study life on this tiny island.⁣
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Manod’s life seems to be a looping grind of caring for her father and younger sister, cleaning fish, keeping up a home, but not using her mind as she so loved in school. When the anthropologists hire her to translate and assist them, Manod’s world is opened up. She sees possibilities she’s never truly considered. Her struggle between self and those she loves is one we can all sympathize with.⁣
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While I found the entire premise of this book interesting and unique, I didn’t love my time on the island. The setting and the people felt so overwhelmingly grim that even I wanted to flee. I also didn’t love some of O’Connor’s writing style. Conversations were stilted, often ending before they’d really begun. I found it jarring and kept going back, thinking I’d missed something. I appreciate the originality and the atmospheric setting, but I was happy to leave this island. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Whale Fall is a quiet novel that reminds me quite a bit of Carys Davies' Clear. We follow Manod, a bright young woman living on a fictional island off the coast of Wales that has seen a severe decrease in population due to climate change, overfishing, and a change in generational priorities.

I went into this novel thinking that the washing up of a whale on the island's beaches caused a chain of events to start happening on the island, but alas. I seemed to have read a completely different plot. While the body of a dead whale is, indeed, involved, this is more a slower, subtler novel about the arrival of two English folks looking to write about life on this island and Manod working as their assistant.

I appreciated the way the author framed this through Manod's perspective so we could see the damage these researchers were doing in their writing a false narrative. Hopefully readers will call into question the ways history has been written throughout time and approach it much differently moving forward. I think that was the most important thing I grabbed from this book. Otherwise, expect beautiful language and beautiful descriptions, commentary on "progress" and modernity, and the struggles of smaller communities holding onto traditions while also trying to move forward with the rest of society.

While not quite what I thought it would be, I'm still glad I read it. Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This title published May 7, 2024.

I enjoyed this atmospheric, slim novel set in the 1930s on a remote Welsh island. Manod is an 18-year-old who has lived her whole life on the island with the small community. When a whale washes ashore, it brings two strangers to the island to document life there and her life becomes entangled with theirs as she works as their translator.

What I loved most about this novel was O'Connor's writing. I've read a number of books set by the ocean lately and her descriptions of the ocean as a thing of menace were notable. You could smell the salty air, the rotting fish, the salt decay in her sentences. She captures how hard life is for these islanders with little resources.

I think fans of <i>The Water Cure</i> and <i>Our Wives Under the Sea</i> would enjoy this one!

Whale Fall is a haunting beautiful coming-of-age story set on a remote island. It starts out with a whale that's been beached and builds from there. You have islanders going about their lives when you meet Manod, an 18-year-old who is longing for more than the typical island life. She's lovely and I was glad for the time I got to spend with her. Manod befriends two people who come to the island to study the islanders and their way of life.

This was a short read, barely took a day. It gave you a sense of place, an island I would love to adventure on with people that are doing the best they can to survive.

Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for the chance to read this ARC.

Elizabeth O'Connor's Whale Fall transports readers to a fictional Welsh island in 1938, where eighteen-year-old Manod Llan grapples with her aspirations and responsibilities. Raised in a tight-knit community of fifteen men, twenty women, and twelve children, Manod dreams of a life beyond the island's confines. Yet, her deep connection to her family, especially her younger sister Llinos, and the community she’s always known holds her back.

The novel takes a fascinating turn when a beached whale draws outsiders to the island, including ethnographers Joan and Edward. Manod, fluent in both Welsh and English, becomes their interpreter and assistant. Joan’s worldly perspective broadens Manod's horizons, while Edward’s promises ignite her hopes for a different future. However, as Manod delves deeper into their research, she grows disillusioned with their misrepresentation of her beloved community, questioning their true intentions.

O'Connor’s writing is a standout, with lush descriptions that vividly bring the island and its inhabitants to life. Manod’s character is compelling; her inner conflict between her longing for a different life and her loyalty to her home is portrayed with sensitivity and depth. The narrative immerses readers in the islanders' daily lives, their traditions, and their collective awe at the beached whale, making it a richly textured read.

The beauty of Whale Fall lies in its quiet yet powerful storytelling. The novel doesn't rely on dramatic twists but rather on the nuanced exploration of human nature and relationships. Manod’s journey is both heart-wrenching and inspiring, as her innocence is confronted by the harsh realities of exploitation and self-interest. The author masterfully keeps readers engaged, weaving in stories of the island's folklore and the poignant dynamics within the community.

What makes this novel particularly moving is its emotional resonance. Manod’s struggles and her profound love for her sister and her community evoke a strong sense of empathy. The narrative’s bleak moments are balanced with a glimmer of hope, leaving readers with a sense of bittersweet satisfaction.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy!

Manod’s story is a quiet one. I truly enjoyed the descriptive settings of the quiet fishing community. It really made you feel like you were right there. Not usually a historical fiction reader, but happy I had the opportunity to try this one.

I was excited to check out this debut novel. I thought the writing in this book was really strong but overall I didn't connect very much to the plot.

Manod is living on a remote Welsh island in 1938 with her sister and father. She is 18 years old when a dead whale washes up on the beach, and soon after it come Joan and Edward, English ethnographers who have come to study the island.

I am sure situations like this one happened all the time and it must have been so devastating. That devastation was depicted really well.

I loved the character of Manod and I felt some real emotions over things that happened to her, which is a testament to the strong writing. I loved the relationship with her sister.

I also loved the descriptions of the island - I could picture it all so vividly and loved the established sense of place. I could feel the isolation so well.

I will definitely check out what Elizabeth O'Connor writes next and I am impressed by all the research that went in to this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Whale Fall is a beautifull-written debut novel by short story writer Elizabeth O'Connor. A whale washes up on the beach of an sparsely-populated and remote Welsh island far from the mainland. Simultaneously, two ethnographers from England arrive on the island to "study" the inhabitants and their culture. They enlist Manod, a young woman on the island fluent in both English and Welsh, as their guide. Manod finds herself torn between the mainland life the ethnographers represent and encourage her to embrace and life on the island her ancestors have inhabited for generations. Manod's longing to leave, however, is complicated by her growing awareness that the ethnographers are misrepresenting her people and the land, exoticizing their lives for English readers' consumption. As Jane, one of ethnographers, exclaims the superiority of "Britain and the Isles" at every turn Manod comes to understand that the island and her people's way of life will, like the whale, slowly decay and die.

I got lost in the beauty of all aspects of this book--descriptions of the land and the sea, the purposely spare dialogue, the time spent with the characters' inner thoughts, and Manod's struggle to come to terms with her own and the island's future. I can't wait for O'Connor's next book!

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC! Published by @pantheonbooks, May 7, 2024.

I think the hardest reviews for me to write are the books were I just feel fine about and this is how I felt about Whale Fall.

It was a pretty slow pace but a quick book due to the length. I never found myself immersed in this book or really caring about any of the characters. While I did like the main character, Manod, I felt more character development was needed since there wasn’t a lot of plot. It also reminded me a lot of another book I have read recently which made me feel less interested in it.

This book was just ok for me. Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Whale Fall is a succinct but impactful coming-of-age novel set on a fictional Welsh island on the heels of WWII. A beached whale found on the shore serves as a perilous omen, signaling a metaphoric sea change that may well upend the locals' relationship to the small enclave they call home. This is a stark and atmospheric novel, slow-moving but enthralling; strange at times, but always grounded. The titular whale is really just a small piece in play: ultimately, Whale Fall is a well-crafted novel about living on the brink of a changing world and about colonialism; about trying to preserve one country while also wondering about life in another one; and who we could become if only we could leave everything behind.

A spare, atmospheric coming-of-age story set on the edge of Europe at the edge of WWII. A sharp critique of the way urban, upper-class people romanticize and exploit rural areas.

I'm glad I spent time with this.

Thanks to Netgalley fro the advance copy.