I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Whalefall by Daniel Kraus. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

In Whalefall, Jay Gardiner hasn’t gone scuba diving in two years. He’s been grappling with his father’s death by suicide, and only just now feels that he can engage with his father’s favorite hobby again. So, haunted by memories of his fraught relationship with his irascible parent, Jay goes diving—only to encounter a giant squid at the edge of a dropoff, then a sperm whale. The sperm whale swallows both the squid and Jay, who realizes that he now has only an hour left of air to find a way to escape.

So this is (as described by the publisher, but I agree) like a combination of The Martian and 127 Hours. Sadly, Jay is not nearly as funny as Mark Watney, and this is definitely more tense than a man stuck alone on Mars. Somehow.

I’m writing this review a couple days after finishing this book, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Mainly, I’m not sure if I enjoyed it. It’s a weird feeling to have. I can definitely recognize that there were several elements that were really well done, but did I like the book? Yes and no, I guess. Regardless, I have lots of thoughts.

I didn’t dislike Jay as a protagonist, but he doesn’t strike me as that memorable. His circumstances, yes, but not him as a person. The flashbacks featuring his father clearly show Mitt Gardiner, not his son, to be the interesting and more layered character. Mitt isn’t particularly pleasant, but he’s a complex man, and seeing him from his child’s eyes is interesting, and moving at times. Beyond that, there aren’t really other important characters. Jay’s sisters and mother, as well as a friend of Mitt’s, are mentioned, but they barely impact the plot. Really, this is a story of a son haunted by his father, and the ways parental lessons influence kids for years.

Okay, I lied. There’s another character: the sperm whale. This is where things get weird, because in a way, the whale has a voice. Jay has a connection with this creature unlike anyone else—after all, how many people have been swallowed by such a large creature and lived? It’s strange, though, and I found myself struggling with this a bit. Was Jay imagining the sort-of dialogue, or was there really some kind of communication happening? It wasn’t a bad element of the story, just an odd one.

Speaking of the whale, though, the moment that it appears is probably the best scene in the book. The setting is so palpable, I could practically feel the cold water, had the dizzying sense of hanging over the edge of an ocean trench, and felt my heart pound when the whale’s head emerged from the depths. What a cool scene. It was stunning, and chilling, and awe-inspiring.

On a more sour note, though, I have to point out that this book is definitely not for the squeamish. If you are put off by things like gore and viscera, or vomit and blood, this is probably not the book for you. It’s not egregiously graphic, but these things are still described. Also, if you’re claustrophobic, please don’t read this; you will have a bad time. I mean, sperm whales are big, but this is still a tense and very cramped setting. Personally, I’m not that squeamish about these things, and I figured they’d be present before I started the book. It wasn’t fun to read these parts, of course, but it did make the story feel grotesquely realistic. From what I can tell, Kraus did extensive research about sperm whale anatomy and behavior, and that was kind of cool.

One quibble about Kraus’ writing, though, is that sometimes it seems like Jay can see what’s happening outside the whale. One particular scene featuring orcas stuck out at me—is it because of his nebulous connection to the whale that allows him to perceive what’s going on, or is it just that Kraus didn’t quite know how to explain the scene otherwise? Either way, it was as if Jay was watching from outside, when he was still very much in the whale. It was weird.

However, in the end, Whalefall is an intense read about survival, resilience, and family. It’s a serious book, with serious themes and scenes, including a complicated and sometimes unkind relationship between a parent and child, health problems and suicide, and of course significant physical injury and peril. At the same time, though, Jay’s determination to survive is admirable, especially in the face of such insane odds and poor self-image. When his world is utterly devoid of hope, he still manages to find the will to tackle his problems, and that was moving to read. Kraus’ writing is sometimes grotesque but also sometimes almost poetic. The metaphor of the whale is woven through the whole story, as is Mitt Gardiner’s life and death, and it’s honestly pretty intriguing. So this wasn’t an easy book, and I’m still not sure I actually like it, but it’s definitely notable.

(But also, scientists, is the way the climax plays out even possible? I assume so, but it still threw me when I realized what Jay was planning. I was sitting there thinking “he’s gonna… what? Okay…” I also wish it had played out a little differently, but oh well.)

Whalefall will be published on August 8th, 2023!