This is a quietly lovely historical coming of age tale, set in pre-WWII, a glimpse into another place and time, a small island where the population is dwindling as those who are able move to the mainland. Manod is close to her family, while at the same time, searching for more without knowing exactly what it is she wants for herself, her life. Life on the island is routine, for the most part, but somewhere inside of her is a desire for more, even if she hasn’t yet determined what it is that she wants for her future. Torn between wanting a life that would offer her more than she will ever have on this island, while her heart reminds her of the things she loves about this place, her loyalty to family and how that extends to home and history, all her memories are tied to this place. And yet, still, she is torn.

When a whale washes up on their shore it naturally attracts attention, not only from the locals, but as time passes it draws in others who come from the mainland and beyond. Soon a man and woman arrive on a boat, and seemingly befriend her for a time, but their motives prove to be questionable.

A beautifully written, quietly lovely story that was impossible to put down and one I won’t soon forget.


Pub Date: 07 May 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Pantheon

What a lovely novel! I thoroughly enjoyed WHALE FALL and will be recommending it to fans of literary fiction. The author's writing style is very appealing; there's not a wasted word and she conveys a strong sense of place. I felt immersed in each scene as though I too were on a remote Welsh island. Manod is an intriguing main character whom I felt I wanted to know more about. In some ways this is a coming of age story but it feels remarkably fresh and different. This is elegant story-telling at its best.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are completely my own.

So much in such a small book. It is beautifully succinct. The isolation that Manod feels and her deep desire for more bleeds through the pages. This book gave me all the feels. A coming of age story as well as a tale of colonialism.

Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy of this book. Wonderful writing, interesting story. Can't wait for more from this author.

I really enjoyed "Whale Fall" by Elizabeth O'Connor. Her sparse writing style conveys a lot about the island settings and characters without excess. Manod and Llinos are engaging and poignant characters. The descriptions of life 5 miles off the mainland and how news and changes were delayed were really interesting. I enjoyed the symbolism of the birds and the whale. The portrayal of two English researchers was poignant and compelling. This book is highly recommended.

This is the sort of book that you could read, and enjoy, as a charming, vaguely historical, slightly exotic, coming of age tale. Or, you could probably use it as a basic text for a graduate level literature course, unpeeling it layer by subtle and delicious layer. Our heroine, Manod, is smart, independent, perceptive, and not easily taken in or misled. She is tempted by the siren call of the Mainland. She is both virtuous and achingly human, and as such acts as the ground and center of this novel. So, read it as a statement about female agency. Read it as a sly commentary on British imperialism. Read it as a rather withering take on the condescension of academic ethnography. Read it as a tale of family grief and unity, exploring bonds between father and daughter, sisters, or children of a lost Mam. Enjoy its frank and exuberant Welshness, (a key element of its appeal that should not be overlooked). And of course, go nuts interpreting how the whale fits into every level of the story. I loved this book, but I especially enjoyed playing around with what it is really about. (Hint: probably not about lobster fishing, but who knows.) A wonderful treat.

Taking place on a remote Welsh island, Whale Fall follows a young girl after two foreign scholars take an interest in her.

The writing in this book isn't overdone, especially for such a short book, everything is somewhat sparse. However, there is a beautiful sense of place, as well as character. Manod is so well drawn, and O'Connor only needs a few paragraphs for the reader to invest in each of her relationships, to understand how Manod relates to those around her. Even prior to the action of the book, I enjoyed reading about Manod's daily life.

This book definitely took a little while to get into, as I don't normally read historical fiction. I definitely recommend it to fans of coming-of-age novels.

Set on a remote Welsh island this book creates an interesting view of culture and family. A great view of how a small town reacts to strangers and how one's view of their community is so different then what others see. A story of growing up and wondering if there is more and yet not wanting to lose their history. A riveting story with so many dynamics written as if you feel you are there. My first novel was by Elizabeth O'Connor and I was not disappointed.

O’Connor’s debut novel is a stunning portrait of life on a pre-World War II Welsh island, but more than that, it is the tale of Manod, a young woman longing for a life larger than the island can provide, while simultaneously fiercely loyal to the island, its history, and her family.

Whale Fall is beautifully written and the island, its folklore, and its people come alive through O’Connor’s mesmerizing prose. You can’t help but root for Manod as she comes to the slow realization that the visitors to her small island home may not have her best interests at heart. Although a quiet story, I absolutely could not put it down, and I wasn’t ready to leave the island so soon.

Many thanks to Pantheon Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

First of all, thanks to Netgalley and Pantheon for letting me read an eARC of Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor. The novel was an amazing read that I was able to get through rather quickly due to the characters and worldbuilding. Both of which had me absorbed and enthralled from the first sentence, as you follow Manod's journey after the arrival of the strangers. I loved how, through their arrival and interaction with them, Manod realized more about herself, her world, and what she was truly capable of. Whale Fall is an easy recommendation for readers who love historical fiction.

I finished this novel in essentially two sittings over the course of two consecutive nights. I couldn’t stop reading. WHALE FALL follows the story of Manod, a young woman living on a remote Welsh island with her family when a dead whale washes onto the shore in 1938. The arrival of the whale is accompanied by that of two English ethnographers, whose motivations, methods, and morality are at first opaque, and then harrowingly apparent.

This novel is striking and succinct, deeply sad yet beautifully written. It’s incredible how much is packed into just over 200 pages, even though it all seems to unfold slowly and organically, with no urgency. I’d absolutely recommend this one. Fingers crossed that O’Connor writes more fiction soon.

This is a beautiful story of self discovery and moving with grief. Taking the dead body of a whale washing up, our main character takes this as a bad omen.

I really enjoyed this book. It was quiet and meditative, very subtle and beautifully constructed. Its handling of the very tricky and complex ideas surrounding someone coming to the notion of moving past their small upbringing was delicately woven.

This is also a deeply English book, but not based in extravagance, but more in the beauty of its simplicity. I wasn’t surprised to learn how this manuscript was the subject of a 10-agency bidding war for publishing. It deserves the love it will inevitably get.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

This is a lovely little book, set on a fictional British Isle before WWII. Two anthropologists arrive on the heels of a beached whale, and spend a couple of months collecting stories and pictures of island life (and embellishing them inaccurately for their own ends). The protagonist is an 18 year old girl whose abilities exceed the opportunities she has on the island, and these two visitors are the spark for her pursuit of other options.

The 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.

This was a beautiful little novel. I was left wanting more. This would be good for the reader wanting a good novel to read by the ocean for the day. Quick and easy. Would definitely recommend it!

Whale Fall first pulled me in because of its unique format of writing. Each scene is broken up into its own few pages, like the whole book is a bunch of short stories (or even poems) of the main character's thoughts. Weirdly enough, this makes you feel like a complete outsider AND like you are right there on the small, harsh island. The characters feel very human and beautifully flawed, and the daily-life plot feels very simple and calm (even through all the main character's turmoil). And despite it feeling simple and unexciting (it's anything but), the poetic writing creates such an atmosphere and deep feeling of the islander's life that you just keep reading.

Really, really enjoyed this book. My main gripe would just simply be that I wanted more. I think it worked well for what it was, but definitely could have been expanded in areas just to bring through some more character depth. Would highly recommend this book.

I'm still getting used to ARC's but the formatting of this seemed a bit off, but I'm sure by release date it'll be touched up.

What a beautiful little book. Living inside Manod’s head for two hundred pages or so is an experience I want to go back and revisit. I know I didn’t get all of the poetry available on my first read (though the longing is heartbreaking and unmissable). It’s a moving account of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood. Born on a Welsh island with a dwindling population, she’s beginning to see possibilities for herself elsewhere, but can’t see how to free herself of her ties to her home. The world is on the cusp of war (it’s 1938), and comes in on the tide in the form of two researchers. The short sections in which the book is written kept me turning the pages, as did the tension between what Manod thinks is happening and what may be the truth as she interacts with these newcomers. The ending is brilliant and perfect. Manod is a character who will stay with me.

I rated the book a 4.75 because I was a little confused at first about who was who in Manod’s family. It took me a while to get my feet, so to speak, in her world. But maybe that’s deliberate. Thank you so much to Pantheon for allowing me to read an advanced copy! I will be looking for O’Connor’s next work with anticipation.

Wow. This is a book that will likely stick with me for a long time. It’s a quiet tale about a young girl living on an isolated island, who realizes she wants more in life when two young writers come to her village. While this seems simple, I really found myself lost in the complexity and the layers of storytelling. I think there’s some really beautiful commentary on people who look down on those who inhabit the places they are only visiting.

I adored Whale Fall. Elizabeth O’Connor’s prose is stunning—I could not put this one down. The depictions of earnest, human emotions and experiences through Manod’s eyes were so descriptive. I could envision the fictional island in Wales the family lived on, could see how Joan might find it beautiful while Manod would find it plain, could feel and understand her longing to see what was beyond the only place she’s ever known. This one was short and succinct but not lacking in anyway. An incredible debut, in my opinion, and I hope Elizabeth O’Connor releases more in the future, because I would love to read more from this author.

Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.