Life in a small island community for some is a cherished ideal, for others a stultifying existence.

Manod is an 18 year old girl in 1938 who was raised on a small Welsh-speaking island just off the coast of England, a community that has just 12 families living there, plus the minister and the lighthouse keeper. She lives with her lobsterman father (Tad) and in the absence of a mother is helping to raise her younger sister Llinos. The men on the island are either farmers or fishermen, neither of which is an easy or profitable life. The younger residents are more and more often moving to the mainland in search of better ways to make a living. Despite having been an extremely good student at school, Manod has few options open to her…it is expected that she will marry (preferable someone on the island) and have children, though she dreams of continuing her education and leading a bigger life. Even as the rumors of coming war are reaching the island, something dramatic happens that will change life there forever. A dead whale washes up on the beach, which the more superstitious islanders feel is an omen (though they can’t agree on whether it is a good or bad one). Next two British academics arrive, Joan and Edward, wanting to study the islanders’ way of life. Their speech, customs, stories, songs, and more are all of great interest to the pair, but neither speaks Welsh particularly well. Monad speaks both Welsh and English well, and is asked to work as their interpreter. She is as fascinated with Joan (who wears lipstick and dresses in clothes just like those Monad has seen in magazines) and Edward and the life that they have lived as the academics are with the unspoiled rural way of life on the island. In both cases, the idealized virtues are far from what the reality of each situation is truly like, and will lead to disenchantment all around. Has Manod found a way to escape the harsh life that seems her destiny? Will Joan and Edward record an accurate view of the islanders’ life or will they portray it as what they hoped it might be?
Author Elizabeth O”Connor has written a haunting story about a disappearing way of life set in an unforgiving locale, and the coming of age of a young woman at a time and in a place that seems to offer but one path ahead, one that does not appeal. Manod has seen the life of wives on the island, who frequently lose their husbands to the sea, and where contact with the larger world is infrequent and at times even impossible. Joan and Edward are enchanted by this community that works in concert with their natural surroundings, but don’t seem to see how difficult and precarious life is there. Told with compassion and using precise, evocative language, this story allowed me as a reader to quickly enter the world Manod inhabits, and look at things through her eyes. She is a character who will live within me for some time to come. Readers of authors like E. Annie Proulx, Howard Norman and Michael Cunningham should grab a copy of Whale Fall, find a cozy chair, a mug of their beverage of choice, and settle in for a rewarding read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon Books for allowing me early access to this captivating novel of love, loss and disappointment.

This historical fiction debut wasn't my cup of tea but it was a quick read with an interesting premise (a group of reporters show up on a remote Welsh island to investigate a whale that's washed up on shore). Short with a strong female lead this was a quick read and good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Whale Fall opens with two quietly catastrophic events - a whale washes up on the beach at the same time as two researchers from the mainland arrive to survey the participants.

Manod, a Welsh woman straining to move beyond her island community, is tasked with helping the ethnographers. What begins as a way to cautiously expand her own world spirals into betrayal as Manod realizes the researchers are looking for a fantasy.

Whale Fall perfectly bridges the divide between literary and historical fiction. Based on real events, there’s a familiar disillusion of being sold a dupe. The whale’s death and decay mirrors Manod’s distance from her community, as she becomes enraptured and then cast aside. Never heavy handed, O’Connor’s windswept language carries the sparse outer world of the island, leaving an ongoing sense of longing.

I rarely see sequels within lit fic, but I would read more of Manod’s self discovery.

This was such a quiet and thoughtful story set on a remote Welsh island. I really enjoyed following the character of Manod and learning more about her and her life on this island. There is an eclectic cast of characters throughout, and I really enjoyed seeing all of these different interactions. This book is on the shorter side, and I was really impressed by how much O'Connor was able to pack into this tale that let all of the characters and setting feel read. This felt incredibly human and well-written, and it definitely showcases Elizabeth O'Connor as an author that I will absolutely read more from in the future!

While it has beautiful writing, I didnot feel drawn to the characters and felt distracted while reading, that my attention wasnt being grabbed. Maybe will try again at a different time and headspace.

I was immediately hooked by this book's setup: a dead whale washes up on the shore of a remote Welsh island — a bad omen? An invitation to explore? Soon two English ethnographers arrive to study the island's culture, and our heroine Manod's live is unsettled in ways she couldn't have predicted. I loved this exploration of the anguish (and sometimes, rewards) of wanting more, of being curious, of looking beyond the current horizon. Once that fire is burning in your chest, it's impossible to put it out without *something* happening. The combination of folklore and setting made this a page-turner — a fascinating, moving way to take a virtual trip to Wales.

2.5 Stars rounded up
I need to learn not to pick up books like Whale Fall, the melancholy wears thin for me even in a book that is just over 200 pages. I can appreciate the beauty in the prose, and the parallels between the book and actual islands in Britain made the novel more interesting in retrospect, but unfortunately, Whale Fall fell a little flat for me. If you enjoy books by Otessa Moshfegh or the movie the Banshees of Inishiren, that is the vibe from this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pantheon for the digital ARC of Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor. The opinions in this review are my own.

I always want to love these types of books more than I actually do. It's very much a short snapshot of someone's life but it's just too short for me to really get invested. I am impressed with this author's writing and will see what they publish in the future. I would recommend this if it seems interesting to you and if you like short books.

4/5 ⭐️

Whale Fall starts with a washed up whale on an island in the early 1920s-1930s with less than 40 people. Our main character Manod is caring for her sister grappling with the desire to go to the mainland where she can have other opportunities. Journalist from the mainland come to document the life of the island and slowly a friendship is made between Manod and the outsiders. This story is about self discovery and if the life others have is not only what it seems but to be better. As you read the story, you find that the whale is symbolic in a way and I loved that tie in. I found the FMC relatable in trying to decide to go against what her culture has taught and the little information she has received about mainland life. If you are a fan of coming of age stories and stories that evoke asking yourself inner personal questions, I would highly recommend this book.

Release day May 7th!

Thank you NetGalley for a complementary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was melancholic, lonely at times, deeply intimate, and beautiful. The writing style was unique and immersive — the way the island and its lifestyle was described made me feel as if I was there. The book managed the convey so much emotion and longing in its simple aspects, centered around the metaphor of this beached whale. For a shorter book it carried a lot of emotional impact.

I found this book to be a really well-written look into life in this small village in Wales and what happens when outsiders come in and start to treat them almost as if they are test subjects themselves. Manod as the main character was a great narrator for this story, especially as she's grappling with growing up on the island and not really knowing anything else and also being very curious and intrigued by the English people who come to study the whale, wanting to leave with them.

This book was very short and I absolutely blew through it because I couldn't put it down. It's the kind of book where there isn't all that much plot but it still manages to be captivating and memorable.

this was a great book from a debut author. the imagery that was used made me feel like i was there. i could actually feel the sea and the wind while reading. the way it was written made it a super fun and fast read and very bingeable. the storyline was great and very easy to understand and follow. what i thought was very interesting was the fact that the people who live on the island are almost “living in the past” since they are very secluded from other cities, they don’t have the latest technology, or clothing or tools. again great debut and am excited to see where the author goes from here!

Manod lived on a small island off the coast of Wales. There were twelve families, plus a minister and a lighthouse keeper. The island is austerely beautiful, their traditional life hard and harsh.

Since the death of their mother, she cared for her younger sister. And helped her fisherman father. She was intelligent, had been a good student, and could speak English. She had an offer of marriage, but imagined a different life. Perhaps on the mainland. Perhaps an education and a career. But responsibilities and lack of money and opportunity had kept her on the island.

A whale was beached on the island. And shortly afterwards came two mainlanders, a man and a woman. They brought their notebooks and camera and recording devices to document the islander’s vanishing way of life, the stories they told, and the songs they sang.

Manod was recommended to be their translator.

The strangers lathered praise on Manod, commended her abilities, and told her she could be anything–on the mainland. Women were going to university now. They fussed over her embroidery on handkerchiefs, asked to borrow her work to document.

Manod admired the woman ethnographer. She fell for the man’s golden words. They brought news of the world, the rise of Fascism and war. And hope for a different life.

But as time went on, Manod realized these strangers brought false hope, clearly lying as the staged images of island life, intent on making a splash with their book, using the islanders for their own profit and career.

The writing is gorgeous and detailed, bringing the island and its people to life. Manod is a wonderful character, her internal life driving the story. Inspired by real places and events, the novel captures a moment in time when the future met the past, luring people away from their rich, traditional world to pursue a world of choice and opportunity.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

Whale Fall is a debut coming of age novel set on an isolated fictional island off the coast of Wales. When a whale shows up on the shores of the island, they bring a sense of doom and a notion of a life off the remote island for Manod, a young women who has lived on the island her whole life.

This is a quiet, atmospheric novel with beautiful prose that created a fantastic sense of place. You felt the cold and damp, knew the smells and the sounds or this remote island where the birds out number the people by far. Set right before World War Two, the isolation leaves them lacking in both regular communication and knowledge of the outside world goings on. When two outsiders arrive, bringing their beliefs and values and outside knowledge, the author does a great job at shifting the main characters thinking and mindset in relation to the interactions and thinking outside her small island. The books wraps up pretty quickly and I would have like a little more at the end. This is a good literary read for a moody afternoon that and be read relatively quickly.

This is a deeply moving historical coming of age story set on a tiny island off the coast of Wales at the start of World War II. The Island has a dwindling population that makes it’s living from sheep and the sea. The people are a simple people with hard work and determination wired into their everyday lives; but the younger islanders have started to move to the mainland to make a better living for themselves without the instability of ocean harvesting. When a whale washes up onto the shore, life on the island changes. Two researchers from Oxford come to study the residents and Manod, our protagonist, volunteers to help them out. Manod has an intelligence about her that sets her apart from her neighbors. She is fluent in English as has plans that don’t involve marrying a man and continuing the life of her ancestors. She is seduced by the two newcomers and thinks that this is her time to leave. The isolation of the island enhances this longing, but the sadness and depth of her roots keep her adrift in her own life. This book is a bit emotionally difficult to read, I was angry and depressed all at the same time. The prose is amazing and completely takes you back in time to a place you never knew existed. This is a very powerful book that packs a punch and makes you look at history in a different way. Whale Fall is one of those Debut novels that sets itself apart, I can’t wait to see what Elizabeth O’Connor comes up with next.

I absolutely loved this novel, a work of historical fiction with profound ramifications for the present day. I found it beautifully written, thought-provoking, and creatively rendered. I admit I was originally attracted to the title because of its gorgeous cover, but I promise that the contents within are far more stunning. The narrative was captivating, the characters well-developed, and the questions the novel raises handled deftly, satisfying readers while providing much fodder to ponder long after the pages of the book are closed. This is a novel one can truly fall into--and indeed I did, as I couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting. I was stunned to discover this is O'Connor's first novel, and I certainly hope it won't be her last.

WHALE FALL is one of those books that sneaks up on you, holds you spellbound, and leaves a big impression. Elizabeth O'Connor's debut can best be described as a cross between the thorny issues at play in Audrey Magee's THE COLONY and the spare but powerful novellas of Claire Keegan.

Set in 1938, it concerns the twelve families who live on an inhospitable island off the coast of Wales. Manod is the 18-year-old protagonist, a smart and ambitious girl who is starting to feel restless with the restrictive lifestyle and limited opportunities on the island. She and her younger sister have been raised by their widower father, a fisherman; Manod is fluent in English while her sister refuses to speak anything but Welsh.

When a dead whale washes ashore, Manod finds it both fascinating and ominous. As a metaphor, it could represent the larger world out there (which Manod has never visited), the impending war, or decay and rebirth (as the whale is stripped for its many useful parts). When two ethnographers from Oxford arrive to study the islanders' life, they take to Manod because she reads and speaks English so well and because she is observant and insightful. Soon she is working as their assistant and liaison to the other islanders.

She is equally intrigued by Edward and Joan, who represent a link to the outside world. While they learn about life on the island, Manod learns about life in England and, from Joan, how some modern women are choosing to live. A foreboding mood hangs over this triangle, which soon becomes fraught with the characters' varied purposes and ambitions. Each is keeping a secret from the others. This friendship is Manod's first experience with outsiders and profoundly affects her.

O'Connor expertly handles the complex relationships, descriptions of the island and its hardy residents, and Manod's slow awakening. This is a slow-paced, pensive story, but I found it completely absorbing, in part because of its palpable sense of time and place and O'Connor's lovely poetic prose. I cared about Manod, and I think most readers will sympathize with her as well. WHALE FALL is an auspicious debut from a writer I will continue to watch.

I loved this book. It is a beautifully told coming-of-age tale. This is a truly impressive debut novel.

I loved Elizabeth O'Connor's character, Manod. She is an 18-year-old girl living on a lonely island off the coast of Wales. Manod is a bright, lovely young woman eager to grow up and live a fulfilling life. When two Oxford students, Edward and Joan, arrive to research the island and the culture, Manod's enthusiasm for life in England proliferates.

O'Connor writes brilliantly about the juxtaposition of life in a harsh environment and the blossoming of a sweet, intelligent young girl. I felt so protective of Manod and her younger sister. I could have kept reading about her life for many more pages. Whale Fall is a beautiful debut novel with just the right amount of fact and fiction.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Whale Fall was very interesting and a very short read.

Manod has spent her entire life on a mostly isolated island with her father and her sister having lost her mother at a very early age. After a whale has washed up on their island two English researchers show up to write a book about homesteading on a small island.

Manod is eighteen and unmarried and she sees a path off the island with these two researchers. However, not everything is at it seems.

Whale Fall is steeped in Welsh superstition and coming of age fiction.

Booksellers this is a great hand sell for readers who enjoyed Shark Heart, The Water Cure and The Scent Keeper

This digital review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Huge thanks to Netgalley and Pantheon for my review copy!