I expected more of a thrilling tale of harrowing escape. I got a psychedelic trip with a sentient whale and a young man capable is withstanding insane amounts of physical pain.

Whalefall is less about Jay’s struggles inside an aged sperm whale and more about his horrible relationship with his father, now totally lost to him due to suicide.

Was this the book I was expecting? No. But I did still enjoy it.

The oceanic science and research into whales is clearly well done. It’s easy to get a bit lost in the technicalities of diving equipment and marine life that sets the backdrop to Jay’s misadventure. Since the ocean freaks me out, I was expecting the thriller aspect to be a bit stronger, but the constant back and forth in time and the self-reflection broke that up in the first half. The second half flew by.

There were a few things that threw me off totally enjoying this book:
1. At some point, the human mind will shut down from pain and a person will pass out. The amount of injuries Jay sustains makes me think he would have been well past that point, making survival unlikely.
2. The sentient whale/dad was confusing and seemed like a step away from the careful research that went into whale biology. Not bad, just weird.
3. This boy needs therapy, and the experience in the whale does not take away from the horrid childhood Jay. I don’t like that the ending makes it seem like all is understood. And shame on his mom and sisters for pressuring and blaming him through the whole thing.

A truly incredible story and a phenomenal journey. The writing is excellent, almost fever dream like. The entire story kept me engaged the whole time. I never experienced any boredom in this story. It will most likely be one of my most favorites this year!

I am definitely keeping Daniel Kraus on my radar for future stories of his.

Thank you #NetGalley for #Whatfall by Daniel Kraus

When I picked up Whalefall, I did not realize the main character was a seventeen year old boy, and this was a fact I had to ignore every time something bad happened to him in that whale, which was basically all the time considering this is a survival story. It also took 35% of the book for him to get trapped in the whale, which felt long, but in hindsight probably a good thing because by around 70% I was over him being trapped and just wanted him out. There was also a lot less whale than I expected there to be, with flashbacks all throughout the book about Jay and his dad. I did appreciate this, though, because I’m not sure I could have handled any more of Jay in the whale.

I was drawn to this book as it was compared to The Martian, one of my favorites, and Kraus did a great job with the science and I did find those parts interesting. However, I don’t think I was quite the target audience here. It fell a little short of my expectations when compared to that.

Boy was I at war with this book. I originally heard about this book on Twitter from someone who had read an early copy and proclaimed that this book was life-altering and a read that had haunted her for days after finishing. Say less! I was overjoyed when I saw it pop up on Netgalley so first of all, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the honor of reading this book early.

The book follows Jay Gardiner who is distraught about having lost his father, a well-known diver and ocean lover, to suicide a year earlier. He decides to dive in the area of where his father died at in an attempt to find some part of his remains. During this dive, he inadvertently gets swallowed by a sperm whale and is stuck inside the belly of the beast with only 1 hour of air before he runs out.

I'm not sure what I was expecting... Early reviews had said this book was scary, masterfully written, scientifically accurate, and extremely emotional. I would definitely like to echo all of those things. I'd like to start first with how masterfully written this book was; so much so, that I almost didn't read it. The story is told in very short chapters that alternate parts: Current Jay and Past Jay (in the form of many memories and stories from throughout his entire life). If it weren't for the short chapters, my stamina as a reader would have been shot. I'm an English teacher, so I love an author who is so skilled with writing figuratively that I am constantly finding new metaphors or similes to explain something. Kraus took this to a whole new level, Towards the beginning, every sentence was exquisite prose, each word metaphorical and methodically planned out. I found myself having to reread sentences just to be like "Wow...". The writing was unlike anything I had ever read before.

I learned so much about Whales during this read. Some stuff I found myself googling to see if whatever it was was real, and so much of it was scientifically accurate! This book gave me a lot of anxiety while reading it (in a good way!). Each chapter either started with a year (Jay's past) or the PSI level (Current Jay and how much air he has left in his tank), and seeing the amount of air he has left go down made me so anxious but also pushed me forward to finish reading.

I rated this a 4.5, but I am bumping it up on here for one reason. I only reserve 5 star reads for books that affect me personally, make me feel angry, cry, or laugh out loud. I'm bumping it because while I didn't have any emotional connection with the major themes in this book (ie: Suicide, loss, etc.), I no doubt believe that this book would be a five star read for someone who has closer ties to those themes than I do. I can see how healing and powerful this book will be for the people who need it most. Overall, you can say I liked this one A LOT.

Wow - I am not sure if I can articulate how good this book was for me. I went into this book blind and this quite possibly became my favorite book of all time. It was by far the most suspenseful book I have ever read. I loved how the author moved between timelines and situations with ease, short chapters, and perfect pacing. Once I started it I only put it down momentarily. Personally, I need to read more Kraus!

The blurb that describes this as The Martian meets 127 Hours is 1000% accurate. Like, there’s no better way to describe this book. I loved it! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and completely in my feels. Just a powerful story about survival, grief, and forgiveness. Science nerds rejoice because I learned so much random crap from this book about marine biology and diving.

This simultaneously made me want to learn to scuba dive but also never step in the ocean again. I may love horror but there is nothing more terrifying than nature.

4.5 ⭐️

This book was unlike anything else I’ve read. It was so intense and gory, and as someone who studied marine biology, it was fairly accurate!

I highly recommend picking up this book if you like isolation, science-fiction, survival, and personal growth. Very well done!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

This cover really caught my eye because i do love books about the ocean/cruise ships etc and especially when i saw this novel about a whale and a guy being swallowed by one while scuba diving i NEEDED to see how this played out i could not put this book down it was well researched based on everything about a whale and was informative on things i didnt even know about them it takes us on such a thrill ride and it made me feel uncomfortable at times because i couldnt imagine being in this kind of situation omg it was such a well detailed novel till the very end.. This book shows the rifts of jay and his father's relationship as well from jumping back and fourth to flashbacks and present day you really got to know his father and his upbringing ans you also got to know alot about jay and his other family members as well.. After he gets swallowed by the whale this book takes you on such a rollercoaster. I loved the thriller aspect of this novel making the reader not put it down and the thrill ride of not knowing whats going to happen to jay it really makes the reader feel like you're in the situation with him. Jay was a great main lead. This book had such a great concept. At first i was a little hesitant to read a book like this because this is not really a type of book i would pick up because im picky with thrillers and stuff but this one was AMAZING so glad i picked it up! If you want to go on a journey between a man and a whale you will really like this one. This was intense.

This is a modern day Moby Dick in so many ways - Jay Gardiner has decided to face his demons once and for all and scuba dive in an incredibly dangerous area in order to find his father's remains. His father, it is believed, committed suicide and Jay feels that he needs to find the remains to assuage his guilt. As he begins this very dangerous dive we learn about his life growing up under a very strict and angry father. A man who may have been beloved in the community but feared in the home. The cinematic portion of the book begins when Jay is swept into a whale! Can he survive and escape before his oxygen runs out? Gripping, dark, claustrophobic and not for the faint hearted - Whalefall is a modern day one-man odyssey. #DanielKraus
#Whalefall #Atria

Daniel Kraus made me cry. About a sperm whale. Which was NOT what I expected from a survival thriller about a diver swallowed by said sperm whale! But there I was, suddenly crying about whales and their communities and what it means to have a family the pulls you in and protects you when the outside world bites back. Listen, every major horror writer, and blogger, and their cats, have recommended that you read this book, so you don't need me to tell you this isn't a book you want to miss out on. What I will tell you is this, which I didn't anticipate (though having read some of Kraus' other books I probably should have): WHALEFALL is as much about grief, forgiveness, family, and love as it is a harrowing tale of survial about an unfortunate diver having a really bad, pretty gross day.

Wow. This was quite a journey. I was very much not expecting this little book to contain such an intensely emotional and thrilling story. I requested this on Netgalley mainly for the cover, but there's so much more to this book than promised by that amazing image. Here's why I loved this book:

1. THE SCIENCE. I am a science nerd. I have a biology degree, and I grew up reading about different animals and the weird ways their bodies work compared to ours. All the details on ocean life, tides, diving, and the environment around Monterey Bay were so fascinating to read. And my nerdy little science brain absolutely loved reading about the morphology of the sperm whale, both inside and out! I've seen some other reviewers describe it as "gory." In college, this was the kind of information I lived for. I was having the time of my life reading all these fun facts.

2. THE WRITING. The writing style was different, to say the least. The book sometimes reads like Jay's personal stream of consciousness, which took me a few pages to get into. Once I did, however, I felt it was the perfect fit for the story. Jay's emotions aren't told to the reader; we get to experience them with him. When he encounters something he doesn't know and can't explain, readers are right there beside him, figuring it out, too. The style is easy to read, sometimes disjointed, but in the end, it all works just right.

3. THE RELATIONSHIPS. This book grabbed my attention because of the cool sperm whale on the cover, but at its heart, it's a story about a boy and his dad. Jay's dad, Mitt, was, in my opinion, quite the asshole. I don't think I would have experienced nearly as much guilt if I were in Jay's shoes. However, I still really appreciated the in-depth look at their relationship, in all its ugly and heartbreaking glory. Jay wants the approval of his dad. Don't all boys? But after being denied that approval for his entire childhood, as well as putting up with unrealistic expectations and bullying, Jay gives up on his dad. He's still a son, though, and so some part of him still craves that approval and forgiveness. I almost cried at a few passages, and I thought the resolution was just beautiful.

All in all, this was an amazing book that I finished in a day. The story kept me on the edge of my seat, and the relationships kept my emotions always engaged. I really can't think of a way this book could have better catered to the kind of reader (and person) I am. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

**I received an ARC**

Let me begin with saying, Daniel Kraus wrote my favorite book of 2022--Bent Heavens. I was obsessed with that book, so when I saw Whalefall available as an ARC, I knew I need to request it and, thankfully, was approved. For any that have read Bent Heavens, you will see similarities. There is a father/child relationship of the utmost importance included and the father also clings to a book as if it was his form of spirituality, which is then passed down to the child. I will admit I had to Google the experience of being swallowed by a whale, since my daughter and I could only conjure Pinocchio and Jonah as examples, and was happy to see the articles I was reading matched the experience that Jay was going through. I have always had a healthy fear of the ocean and this has increased it tenfold. I definitely felt like I was losing oxygen as the book progressed, which helped with the relationship created with Mitt and Beaky. I was right there with Jay longing for hope and piecing together the memories from his family. Speaking of which, the quote "silky like fish guts, like his sisters' graduation gowns, like his mom's hair", absolutely kicked me in the teeth. And then a little later, we get the guilt trips from Nan, Eva, and Mom trying to get him to see Mitt and I was infuriated. Jay is 17 years old and made to feel like he has to be the bigger person after an incident with his father would have terrified literally anyone. I applaud Jay for staying away, seeking a future elsewhere, and finding his peace in his battle. And thank God for Hewey.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was excited by the premise of this book, it sounded very nerve racking and claustrophobic. I didn’t realize that it’s more about the the main character’s relationship with his father. If you enjoy family dynamics and healing from your past through a traumatic situation, then this is the book for you! Unfortunately it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. I can see others enjoying it though.

An astonishing, moving, fascinating, exciting, beautiful, terrifying, joyful, sad, and lovely adventure that I simply could not put down once I began it. This will appeal to adult and YA readers alike. This is Jaws meets Hatchet, and deserves as big a readership as both. An amazing book and a new favorite.

This is the ultimate story of survival, not just physical survival, but mental and emotional as well.  It's difficult to give a brief synopsis of this one as there are many layers to it, from the physical struggle of surviving being swallowed by a giant sperm whale, to the father/son dynamics that haunt our main character.  What I can say with certainty is that I absolutely loved this story.  I'm still thinking about it nearly a month after finishing it.  This is one of my top five reads for this year, and one that I highly recommend.

I was intrigued and drawn in from the very beginning. I read and read and couldn’t put it down. One of my favorites.

As someone who knowingly suffers from thalassophobia, I knew this was going to be a tense one. I think this is the most anxiety-inducing thing I have ever read!

Lest you think this is just a creature feature, it is not. It is family relationships, trauma, a determined teen, and of course a giant sperm whale!

This is 100% binge read material and perfect for fans of Peter Benchley, Nick Cutter, and pretty much anything in between!

What a ride! Definitely my favorite read of this year. I received an ARC from NetGalley and dove in after seeing so many rave reviews. They weren't wrong. This is a multi-faceted book. On the surface it's a thriller about a teenager who goes searching for his dad's remains and gets swallowed by a whale in the process...but this book goes so much deeper than the surface, it's a story about a turbulent father/son relationship. The way the book is structured the chapters are divided based on either 1) how much air Jay has left in his tank or 2) previous years flashbacks involving his father.

I can't wait for this book to hit the shelves and all the BookTak-ers. I think it's going to big! Like giant, sperm whale-size HUGE!

This was a very quick read. I felt for Jay and the whale, such a descriptive book. Edge of your seat at times, almost felt like I was also going through what jay was going through.

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus is not to be missed!
Jay decides to dive into the notoriously dangerous Monastery Bay to try to retrieve his father's remains. With only an hour of oxygen remaining, he is swallowed by a sperm whale.
What I expected: a unique take on a locked room thriller, maybe Moby Dick vibes
What this book actually is: a heartbreaking exploration of grief, loss, family, and the resilience of the human spirit
I had to sit and let this one marinate for a bit after reading, but I cannot stop thinking about this book. As Jay is trapped and struggles to escape, he reflects on his life and relationship with his deceased father and his other family members. He uses lessons from their relationships to try and escape. Jay begins to "talk" to the whale/his father and we get more insight into their relationship. This book is beautifully written, meticulously researched, and so well done that it is bound to be one of the biggest books of the year.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.