My favorite genre of book is "books about nothing, but somehow everything" and this debut novel fits that description perfectly.

A whale washes up on the shore of a sparsely populated Welsh Island. Some social researchers come to study and write about the island. Our protagonist, 18 year old Manod, works for the researchers, then they leave. That's it, that is the whole story. Except...

The story is really about coming of age in a small life and what happens when the big world encroaches on that space. Are the perceptions of the sheltered island residents, or the worldly researches, the truth? Are the ways the researchers bend the island life to suit their needs selfish, or a sign of the need for change? Is everything Manod needs here, or out in the world? What is the harm in outdated clothing and old fashioned ways when war is yet again on the horizon? The beautifully written (though sometimes disjointed, maybe just a pre-final-edits phenomena) prose quietly and descriptively asks all these questions of the reader and Manon. For a book that is not plot, or even really character driven, the narrative says so much between the lines.

The writing of time and place is breathtaking. O'Connor captures the island life perfectly. The reader, while privy to the historical context and what is happening elsewhere, experiences life on the island intimately. With the ever-looming whale carcass as a clever metaphor for the erosion of Manod's view of life on the island, without too much exposition, we all get to see Manod outgrow her life and yearn for more. If you want to be transported to a time and place far away, this book will sweep you right away.

For a short debut novel Whale Fall delivers the full literary experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1938. A dead whale washes up on a remote welsh Island. Manod lives there with with her father and little sister, who she cares for. Manod dreams of life beyond the island but can’t bring herself to leave. Two Engish ethnographers come to the island to study their way of life. Manod takes a liking to them as she works as their assistant.

I really enjoyed Whale Fall. I loved Manod and really loved her story. This is a really quick and entertaining read and I will definitely be reading more from O’Connor.

When a whale washes ashore on an isolated and sparsely populated island in Wales, the community becomes focused on this event. When researchers arrive,
18 year old Manod steps in to assist with translating and she sees a world beyond her little island. This debut was absolutely captivating and beautifully lyrical.

The climate of Manod’s village will stick with me, especially the push and pull of the island's inhabitants wanting change yet craving simplicity and normalcy as they know it… I loved this book. It really is a relatively simple story with a wealth of depth and meaning just beneath the surface.

A whale washes ashore on an isolated Welsh island. A couple from Oxford arrive to research an ethnography of the few remaining residents (those who haven't moved to the mainland yet to find better prospects than continuing to battle the natural world in an attempt to make lives from fishing and catching lobster). Manod, an eighteen year old woman on the island with good English skills, works for the researchers as a translator until they leave.

And that's it, that's the story.

This is a very literary novel that is far from plot-driven. Crafted sentences are sometimes incomplete, comprising paragraphs that may or may not have anything to do with the ones preceding or following them. It did successfully have me feeling transported to the island, feeling the sea spray on my skin and smelling the day's catch. And I liked how the researchers were writing a book about a way of life that only existed in their minds, using their subjects more than studying them (if this were a plot-driven novel, I would insist on seeing them get their comeuppance!)

But the style of the book just didn't 100% work for me. It didn't develop any characters enough to allow me to feel invested in them. I have no idea what the purpose of all the whale bits of the story were for (because there was a whole lot about the whale.) Was it metaphor? If so, for what? And why would you NOT want people to come haul away the months-old giant rotting carcass on your beach?

So in all, this was a 3.5 star mixed bag for me. Kind of sadly beautiful, but not super engaging. I usually really enjoy literary novels, but maybe my tastes in reading are changing now that I am consuming way more books than I ever have before?

Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. My Goodreads review is live now, while my blog post with the review is scheduled for May 7, 2024.

In Whale Fall, we follow the central character, an 18-year-old motherless daughter, during a season on a remote Welsh island when a whale carcass washes ashore. Newcomers arrive on the island to study the few remaining villagers who live a harsh life on the cold, remote, rocky island to study the inhabitants. The book held my attention, and was interesting, but felt unfinished.

thank you for this arc!

i really wanted to love this, folklore and just the vibes overall. alas, i felt a little underwhelmed by this title. it was not bad by any ,means. perhaps, i am the problem.

Spare, brief, plangent, O’Connor’s novel offers a supposedly more authentic version of what she critiques - an attempt at representing the lives and values of island dwellers off the coast of Wales. The community is shrinking, dying, and with World War II on the horizon, probably doomed. Yet the narrator offers strength, affection and hope. The important content is the evocation of place and custom, and its betrayal by the incoming academics. It’s affecting work but not especially original.

Whale Fall, the debut novel by Elizabeth O'Connor is a beautifully written, coming-of-age story set in the late 1930's. 18-year-old Manod and her family are inhabitants of a remote, sparsely populated Welsh island just as a large whale has washed ashore. Deeply connected to the history and folklore of their people and island, the whale becomes a focus for the adults and children alike. Despite the realities of her island life and the desires of others for her to marry, Manod is committed to her independence-- until the arrival of two ethnographers offer her a life of new possibilities. Drawn to the temptation, Manod faces the differences of her worlds, and the reality that she cannot have both.

I was quickly drawn to O'Connors simple, romantic and descriptive writing. The inclusion of conversation and song in Welsh beautifully illustrated the culture. The ethnographer's interpretation challenges us to wonder if the difficult island-life has caused the inhabitants to not recognize the beauty around them or if the visitors have romanticized the lives of the island people. In the end, Whale Fall left me with a feeling a heartbreak and fierce independence...and hopeful for what comes next.
 
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor along with Net Galley for allowing me to review an ARC Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor.

Whale Fall is a beautifully written book, depicting life on a small, remote Welsh island. The story is coming of age, family saga, loss, and intrusion by outsiders. (The view of the island by the mainlanders was comical , yet sad.) All of this told with the subtle looming of World War II.

This is a slim book, but full of interesting topics, and would be a great book for discussion groups.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth O’Connor’s achingly beautiful debut novel, “Whale Fall”, is a mesmerizing effort. On one level it is a straight-forward story of a motherless teen-ager growing up on a desolate Welsh island in the run-up to the horror that will be called the Second World War. Manod is a loyal, driven, and wise young lady, devoted to her younger sister, her father, her island. Life is harsh, yet beautiful, in a way that only isolated Northern islands can be. O’Connor’s writing is mesmerizing, poignant, poetic.

As time moves forward, life goes on. Some people leave either by moving to the mainland in search for a better life, or through death by illness, danger, or despair. Other things wash up upon the shore: a dead whale, English researchers, letters, news of war. There is reason for concern when such things appear. There are folk tales that have been told through the ages that continue to be repeated and sung. Spirits watch and wait.

Through it all, we root for Manod. She is the best of us. Ms. O’Connor is a powerful talent to watch closely moving forward.

Thanks to Pantheon Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

The writing of this novel was so melodic and pleasant. The voice of Manod sang so clearly off the page, and I adored her and the way she saw the world. Each character was so interesting and I was enthralled whenever we as the audience learned more about the island and its inhabitants. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but the writing style stuck out so strongly to me. I will be waiting for more books from this author.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Elizabeth O’Connor. The story takes place in 1930s Wales on a small, remote island. The local inhabitants share their experiences on the island with two young researchers after the body of a whale washes onto the beach. The writing style reminded me a lot of Sally Rooney’s work in the way the dialogue was structured, how we lived through the main character’s stream of consciousness, and its direct delivery amongst very emotional scenes.

Thank you Net Galley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

Somewhere between a 3.5-4 star read for me! This was an interesting and evocative read, and the author did a wonderful job of immersing me in a setting that I am admittedly not familiar with at all. I thought the writing was beautiful while succinct, but I had a hard time connecting to Manod at times, which dropped it a star for me. If I had to be critical, the narrative also really picks up for me at the last 30% of the book and I wish the pacing was a little more balanced. This was still a really lovely cloudy, cozy weather read and I’m looking forward to seeing more from the author!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for the ARC!

What an incredible treat this novel is. Every word filling the slim volume with character and atmosphere, almost hypnotic in its exploration of isolation and grief and family. I cannot wait for more long-form from Elizabeth O'Connor.

This was an amazing book for a debut. The imagery and description used made me feel like I was there not reading about it. The commentary of how populations can be exploited for a story, by people coming from a different way of life that they have deemed superior is a theme we see in many cultures, but I have not seen it written in such an eloquent way. The use of symbolism of the whale indicates the challenges Manod will face from the beginning of the book, and the reader is able to find out at the same time Manod is. I am looking forward to other books my Elizabeth O'Connor as this is such a great debut.

On a windswept island off the coast of Wales, a small but hardy community has lived for generations despite its loss of young people to the mainland. Manod, a clever and curious islander charged with her family's care after her mother's death, watches her peers depart for better lives and contemplates her own future. Acting as an anchor for her family but wanting to breathe in the wider world, Manod and her contemplations grow more dire when a whale becomes stranded on the shore. When a duo of ethnographers arrive from England, Manod gets a glimpse of life beyond the island, for better and for worse.

O'Connor's debut is a brilliant story of growing up, of holding on and letting go, of family, love, betrayal, and possibility. Her writing lands on the page like mist from crashing waves and her storytelling will linger like fog.

This immersive, lyrically descriptive novel about a young girl coming of age on a sparsely populated welsh island, sent shivers down my spine. A whale beaching coincides with the arrival of two ethnographers. This novel delves into the troubled behavior of ethnography and archaeology of this time, through their telling of the Island lore, traditions, and folk songs. Without giving too much away, we experience the limitations, yearnings, and reality of Manod, the young woman. I can't say enough, one of my new favorites. I look forward to more from this author.

A beautiful, brief debut novel set on a remote Welsh island in the years between the World Wars. It focuses on Manod, a young Welsh woman, and a pair of English anthropologists who come to study the island, its people, and its customs. Perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon; O'Connor's prose is enchanting.

Wow! What an absolute wonderful debut novel. Set on a remote Welsh island, the reader is introduced to Manod, one of the few young people living there. After a dead whale washes up on the island's shores, a series of events occur that will begin to change Manod's life. With the arrival of two English ethnographers to study the island and its people, Manod sees that there is a life possible off the island and what that could mean for her. The scenery described is beauthiful, I loved the mixing of the Welsh language with the English language. I will be recommending this book for my friends and for my book clib.