The Snow Whale
by John Minichillo
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Pub Date Jul 30 2011 | Archive Date Jan 31 2014
Description
When John Jacobs, a mild-mannered suburban office worker, takes a DNA test and discovers that he is part-Inuit, he embraces his new identity to such an extreme that he declares it his Inupiat tribal right to set forth on a whale hunt.
A postmodern satire and seriocomic, quirky adventure set in the oldest continuously settled town in North America, in the North Slope of Alaska on the frozen Chukchi Sea, The Snow Whale cleverly dishes out a resounding twist on Melville’s classic. At the top of the world, where the native inhabitants and their ancestors have depended on subsistence whaling for thousands of years, Minichillo’s debut novel examines identity, race, and our connection to nature, all while poking fun at our contentment with heated socks in an era defined by global warming.
Praise for The Snow Whale
“In this wonderfully inventive debut novel… Minichillo has crafted a delightful tale that is subtle and outrageous in equal measure, and filled with ‘the wisdom of the-everything-and-the-nothing that is the Great Living Breath.’”
-Publisher’s Weekly
“[W]ry, dry, pure hilarity all around.”
-Los Angeles Times
“[A]n auspicious and hilarious debut novel. I haven’t chortled this much since Roger Boylan’s Killoyle.”
-Hey, Small Press!
“[A] genuine page turner…Juxtaposing goofiness and grit, The Snow Whale gets at the heart of all that’s amiss in our hyper-plastic consumer culture even as it proves that, beneath it all, we can still find signs of life.”
-Small Press Reviews
“Everyone loves this damn book. It’s got a great hook, real momentum, and relevancy.”
-Laura Ellen Scott, author of Death Wishing and Curio
A postmodern satire and seriocomic, quirky adventure set in the oldest continuously settled town in North America, in the North Slope of Alaska on the frozen Chukchi Sea, The Snow Whale cleverly dishes out a resounding twist on Melville’s classic. At the top of the world, where the native inhabitants and their ancestors have depended on subsistence whaling for thousands of years, Minichillo’s debut novel examines identity, race, and our connection to nature, all while poking fun at our contentment with heated socks in an era defined by global warming.
Praise for The Snow Whale
“In this wonderfully inventive debut novel… Minichillo has crafted a delightful tale that is subtle and outrageous in equal measure, and filled with ‘the wisdom of the-everything-and-the-nothing that is the Great Living Breath.’”
-Publisher’s Weekly
“[W]ry, dry, pure hilarity all around.”
-Los Angeles Times
“[A]n auspicious and hilarious debut novel. I haven’t chortled this much since Roger Boylan’s Killoyle.”
-Hey, Small Press!
“[A] genuine page turner…Juxtaposing goofiness and grit, The Snow Whale gets at the heart of all that’s amiss in our hyper-plastic consumer culture even as it proves that, beneath it all, we can still find signs of life.”
-Small Press Reviews
“Everyone loves this damn book. It’s got a great hook, real momentum, and relevancy.”
-Laura Ellen Scott, author of Death Wishing and Curio
Advance Praise
The Los Angeles Times
"The Snow Whale" is a funny debut novel. John Minichillo uses our often cartoonish understanding of other cultures to examine the strange sparks that fly when seemingly different cultures (mall-trawling consumers, Spike Lee-wannabe ghetto boys, cubicle lifers in large corporations, Inuit whalers, Eskimo divorcees) inhabit the same neighborhood, whaling boat, igloo or, yes, mouth of a white whale.
When John Jacobs overhears a coworker receiving the results of a DNA test he requested, Jacobs decides to have one too. The results come back: 37% Inuit. Suddenly, Jacobs is hungry for raw bacon. He finds himself buying tons of stuff at REI and planning a trip to Point Halcyon on the Chukchi Sea. "Please don't come," writes the tribal chief, but Jacobs is determined. He finds a cameraman to document his trip (Q, a street kid with a camera) and a tribal elder, Akmaaq (a belligerent detractor of the Endangered Species Act), who agrees to take Q and Jacobs on his boat in search of the Snow Whale. Reader, beware: Many serious issues are pretty much trampled here, but the result is wry, dry, pure hilarity all around. -Susan Salter Reynolds
Publishers Weekly
In this wonderfully inventive debut novel from John Minichillo (a comedic, contemporary retelling of Moby Dick), a chance DNA test reveals to John Jacobs that he is in fact 37% Inuit. So begins the humorous, occasionally hilarious exploits of a man in search of genuine experience (which by his newly acquired tribal rights comes in the form of an Alaskan whale hunt). Whether in quaint suburbia or the frozen Chukchi Sea, human relationships are exposed. Minichillo's balance of satire and realism addresses issues of race, gender, class, and power. The search for the legendary white whale reveals underlying tensions about global warming and government intervention and their increasing impact on ancient customs and cultural relations. With palpable insecurities and unwavering commitment to what is an otherwise absurd cause, Minichillo has created in Jacobs an immensely endearing protagonist who grows more appealing as readers accompany him on his overwhelmingly personal and admirable pursuit. Packed with tongue–in-cheek observations, Minichillo has crafted a delightful tale that is subtle and outrageous in equal measure, and filled with "the wisdom of the-everything-and-the-nothing that is the Great Living Breath."
Hey, Small Press!
It takes a lot of guts to write a (post)modern retelling of Moby Dick, but that’s exactly what John Minichillo does with The Snow Whale. The schlemiel at the center of Minichillo’s tale is John Jacobs, a suburban office worker who gets a DNA test that tells him he is part Inuit. Armed with this knowledge and a newly fashioned identity, Jacobs heads north to take part in an Inuit whale hunt. The result is an auspicious and hilarious debut novel. I haven’t chortled this much since Roger Boylan’s Killoyle. For readers who want some laughter before the oceans rise.
"The Snow Whale" is a funny debut novel. John Minichillo uses our often cartoonish understanding of other cultures to examine the strange sparks that fly when seemingly different cultures (mall-trawling consumers, Spike Lee-wannabe ghetto boys, cubicle lifers in large corporations, Inuit whalers, Eskimo divorcees) inhabit the same neighborhood, whaling boat, igloo or, yes, mouth of a white whale.
When John Jacobs overhears a coworker receiving the results of a DNA test he requested, Jacobs decides to have one too. The results come back: 37% Inuit. Suddenly, Jacobs is hungry for raw bacon. He finds himself buying tons of stuff at REI and planning a trip to Point Halcyon on the Chukchi Sea. "Please don't come," writes the tribal chief, but Jacobs is determined. He finds a cameraman to document his trip (Q, a street kid with a camera) and a tribal elder, Akmaaq (a belligerent detractor of the Endangered Species Act), who agrees to take Q and Jacobs on his boat in search of the Snow Whale. Reader, beware: Many serious issues are pretty much trampled here, but the result is wry, dry, pure hilarity all around. -Susan Salter Reynolds
Publishers Weekly
In this wonderfully inventive debut novel from John Minichillo (a comedic, contemporary retelling of Moby Dick), a chance DNA test reveals to John Jacobs that he is in fact 37% Inuit. So begins the humorous, occasionally hilarious exploits of a man in search of genuine experience (which by his newly acquired tribal rights comes in the form of an Alaskan whale hunt). Whether in quaint suburbia or the frozen Chukchi Sea, human relationships are exposed. Minichillo's balance of satire and realism addresses issues of race, gender, class, and power. The search for the legendary white whale reveals underlying tensions about global warming and government intervention and their increasing impact on ancient customs and cultural relations. With palpable insecurities and unwavering commitment to what is an otherwise absurd cause, Minichillo has created in Jacobs an immensely endearing protagonist who grows more appealing as readers accompany him on his overwhelmingly personal and admirable pursuit. Packed with tongue–in-cheek observations, Minichillo has crafted a delightful tale that is subtle and outrageous in equal measure, and filled with "the wisdom of the-everything-and-the-nothing that is the Great Living Breath."
Hey, Small Press!
It takes a lot of guts to write a (post)modern retelling of Moby Dick, but that’s exactly what John Minichillo does with The Snow Whale. The schlemiel at the center of Minichillo’s tale is John Jacobs, a suburban office worker who gets a DNA test that tells him he is part Inuit. Armed with this knowledge and a newly fashioned identity, Jacobs heads north to take part in an Inuit whale hunt. The result is an auspicious and hilarious debut novel. I haven’t chortled this much since Roger Boylan’s Killoyle. For readers who want some laughter before the oceans rise.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780984510597 |
| PRICE | 14.95 |
| PAGES | 226 |
