A mesmerizing journey into the depths of the human spirit, artfully blending nature's raw beauty with profound emotional insight. O'Connor's lyrical prose and vivid imagery create an unforgettable experience that lingers long after the final page. This book is a stunning testament to resilience and the interconnectedness of life.

Reminiscent of Claire Keegan and Louise Kennedy, this novel is a knockout. The description of life on the Welsh Island was organic. The prose is beautiful. I absolutely loved this. This book would make an excellent addition to any book club.

This book was such an unexpected 5 star for me. Since I have the kindle file, I was shocked at how short it is and how truly well rounded it is. Every page made me feel like I was on the tiny island with the wind howling and the scent of salt and sea. This is an impeccable piece of litfic. One I highly recommend

Elizabeth O'Connor's Whale Fall is a beautifully written story of isolation and desire. Manod has lived on a remote Welsh island all of her life and is desperate to see something else of the world. When two men visit the island for the purpose of research, Manod begins to feel a pull away from her community and towards the world at large. O'Connor's prose is lush and atmospheric. The story was perfectly plotted and I felt everything tied up just right at the end. A fantastic debut.

This was a beautiful and haunting story. I’m not normally a historical fiction fan, but I truly enjoyed this! The main character had such a strong voice, and I was very interested in her development arc. The setting was rich and real. The length was also perfect. I walked away feeling emotionally moved. So glad I tried this one!

Great debut novel. The story explores isolation, ambition, and community. , The writing is atmospheric and captures the raw beauty of the island. I look forward to seeing more of this author’s work.

This book is so beautiful and so sad. A deeply moving illustration of a a vanished culture and their exploitation. Very moving.

4.5 Star.

I really, really liked this! It very nearly was a 5 Star, but there were a few, minor things that took it down a half point. In saying that, this is still an absolutely phenomenal book that was relatively short and super impactful. I think I may have also read this at the wrong time, so I'll definitely be rereading it in the winter to get the full effect.

Whale Fall is about an 18 year old woman named Manod who lives with her family and a small, tight-knit community on a small, coastal Island near Whales. In 1938, right before the events of World War II, the body of a whale washes up ashore, starting the events of the book. A couple comes to study the inhabitants of the island and Manod is tasked with acting as the interpreter between the Welsh natives and the couple. Throughout their time, Manod experiences a wide-range of emotions due to the newcomers and starts to become almost seduced by their presence: the way they dress and speak - and especially the stories they tell.

All is not what it seems, though, and eventually we come to learn the true motives of the couple.

If you're looking for an atmospheric book, this is it. You get such a feel for the island and it was without a doubt, one of my favorite parts of this book. But, I was blown away by O'Connor's reflection on want and desire. Manod's desire for a new life is shown very early on and is only exemplified when the couple come to the island. I think it's a tragic look at the exploitation of youth and of nativity. The themes of indigenous groups, their culture, and the negative impacts that come from outsider influence in here were phenomenally executed and I hope this becomes a modern classic.

What brought down the rating was the writing style and pacing. There were times where we would jump ahead and I was a bit confused and the paragraphs (or lack thereof) was just not it.

It is worth the read, though and if you like historical fiction that, in my opinion, deviates a bit from the traditional Kristin Hannah-style books, I think you'll really like this. Read it on a gloomy, winter day for the full effect.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Great debut novel. The story explores isolation, ambition, and community. , The writing is atmospheric and captures the raw beauty of the island. I look forward to seeing more of this author’s work.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Whale Fall! I loved the exploration of expectations, especially for women, in a closed community. I liked the coming of age story as well as the themes of language and interpretation., It was very atmospheric with its descriptions of the sea and the weather.

I find myself to be a bit of sucker for the stories of islands just off the coast of a larger landmass. The small communities that develop on their own create a thriving culture that shadows the prevailing one, but remains uniquely its own. Whale Fall follows one of these islands, peppering its narration with Welsh folk songs of the sea to drive home how closely they revolve around the ocean and its allowances. We follow the story of a young Manod, who lives on this island but doesn't feel as part of it as she wishes. When two researchers come from England to study the island, we see the machinations of colonization on a micro scale. The whale body on the beach, snatched away by researchers. The cultural practices of the island people, morphed and altered until it resolves into something that will better sell books on the mainland. The innocence of youth, snatched away by and older researcher with little regard, and finally, numerous promises made of a better life and future end in total and utter abandonment.

This book was a bit different than my usual read, but I enjoyed it. I could clearly envision this Welsh island and the people on it. It felt very atmospheric. I do wish it had a bit more plot movement, but still an enjoyable read overall.

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor 5/5✨

I think I’m in my literary fiction era. This book was a delight from start to finish, and I was hooked from the start. Set before World War II (in 1938) on an island off the coast of Wales after a whale washes ashore. Whale Fall follows Manod over the span of three months.

What I loved about Whale Fall was how honest and critical the discourse was about the role of English imperialism and colonialism when two English ethnographers come to “document” the island.
I also loved the character growth of Manod and her relationship with her sister. I especially loved the writing and found it to be so beautiful!

I found this to remind me of Clear by Carys Davies!

#whalefallbook #whalefall #booksbooksbooks #wales #literaryfiction

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t know what to expect and it didn’t resolve as I wanted but I really enjoyed it! An 18 year old on a remote welsh island begins work with two English researchers writing a book. As she sees the island through their eyes she learns more about herself and what she wants out of life.

Whale Fall is so atmospheric. I loved reading about the weather, plants, and wildlife on the island. The descriptions were lush and captivating.

I also think the book did a good job at discussing how communities like this were taken advantage of and misrepresented as the world raced to modernity.

I do wish her family relationships and relationships with other villagers were explored more thoroughly. They felt a bit distant and I would have loved more insight.

Overall, however, I would recommend this book, especially if you’re looking to disappear into some beautiful nature writing.

What a weird little book! I loved this, I loved Manod’s perspective on her isolated island home and the customs and habits of her community, and I loved the way that contrasted with the perspective of the outsiders. There was some juicy thought provoking stuff here, about isolation, alienation, representation, documentation, histroy being written by those in power… Not to mention the haunting form of the decomposing whale carcass. The complex ecosystem that develops around the body of a dead whale, sunk deep into the sea where conditions are harsh and abundance is rare… thats good stuff!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!!

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor is a heartbreaking literary historical novel. Set in 1938, on a fictional island off the coast of Wales, the story is narrated by an 18-year-old island woman named Manod.

Manod is intelligent and caring. She’s attuned to the rhythms of island life, but yearns to expand her horizons. Many of the younger islanders have already moved to the mainland in search of better opportunities, and Manod hopes to do so also, but it’s unclear whether their lives improve or if what they sacrifice in leaving is too great a price to pay.

The story begins with two arrivals. The first is a dead whale that washes ashore. As it slowly decomposes, it becomes part of the island, incorporated into children’s games and adult rituals. The second is an invasion by two English ethnographers, who are eager to record the culture of the islanders before it disappears. They enlist Manod’s help as an interpreter/transcriber. She begins to see them as the means for her escape. Yet her admiration for them slides into disillusionment as she discovers how they manipulate their observations to tell the story they want to tell.

As expected, the ethnographers are more interested in creating a compelling story for the book they are writing than in presenting a realistic picture of the people and their customs. In the act of “preserving” the culture, they are instrumental in distorting it.

The language is spare. The pace of the novel is slow, but there is a tension in it that held my interest – a sense of impending doom. The whale is potentially an evil omen. The ethnographers are unprincipled. The culture is slowly dying. And WWII is approaching. This is not exactly an enjoyable novel, but it will make you think.

I can't believe this is the author's debut. I loved the simple, stated prose and the bleak, atmospheric setting. I do wish it had a little more to it in terms of plot, but this was a fascinating character study nonetheless.

This is Elizabeth O'Connor's first novel - hard to believe given the multiple levels of meaning in this slim volume. The location in time and space enables both a distant mirror and a very personal view of how cultures interact and rub off on one another. The less you know going in, the better. Highly recommended.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Pantheon for providing me early access to this title — it’s out NOW!

‘Whale Fall’ was the atmospheric, stark and poignantly written book I’ve been looking for. I was in love with the juxtaposition of the historical (1938), cold and remote setting of a Welsh Island as described and experienced by Manod, a girl who has spent her life there. A giant whale washes up on the shore and for Manod it becomes both a bad omen and symbolic of something bigger, beyond the island. Students come to study the life and culture on the island and Manod becomes a kind of guide as they try to understand, but in that comes an exposure to something both exciting and exploitative.

There is something so universally recognizable in isolated, coming of age stories like this, but It goes so much deeper and for that it is sharp and upsetting. What can the ambition of an outsider do to a vulnerable community, and what does it mean to confront change even if you’re not completely ready?

It was beautiful, absolutely enamoring. It reminded me of ‘The Colony’ by Audrey Magee (published in 2022), ‘Ghost Wall’ by Sarah Moss (published in 2018) and ‘Clear’ by Carys Davies (also published in 2024). If you’re looking for a brilliant character study and a captivating, chilly setting, look no further — a quiet but compelling read for sure!