Pod
Ratings6
Average rating3.6
An astonishing and immersive new novel, Pod takes the reader into the depths of the ocean—and into the world of its fascinating inhabitants—through the eyes of the beautiful Ea, a spinner dolphin. Laline Paull returns with an immersive and transformative new novel of an ocean world—its extraordinary creatures, mysteries, and mythologies—that is increasingly haunted by the cruelty and ignorance of the human race. Ea has always felt like an outsider. As a spinner dolphin who has recently come of age, she's now expected to join in the elaborate rituals that unite her pod. But Ea suffers from a type of deafness that prevents her from mastering the art of spinning. When catastrophe befalls her family and Ea knows she is partly to blame, she decides to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave the pod. As Ea ventures into the vast, she discovers dangers everywhere, from lurking predators to strange objects floating in the water. Not to mention the ocean itself seems to be changing; creatures are mutating, demonic noises pierce the depths, whole species of fish disappear into the sky above. Just as she is coming to terms with her solitude, a chance encounter with a group of arrogant bottlenoses will irrevocably alter the course of her life. In her terrifying, propulsive novel, Laline Paull explores the true meaning of family, belonging, sacrifice—the harmony and tragedy of the pod—within an ocean that is no longer the sanctuary it once was, and which reflects a world all too recognizable to our own.
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Reading Pod feels like reading Blackfish or The Cove, but if they were beautifully written fiction. Not surprised to see them quoted as inspiration for the novel.
There were a couple of things that made me quirk my brow and felt a tad too YA for my taste, but Pod remains one of the best books I've read this last couple of years!
I have never read anything quite like this book before. The story follows different animals (whales and dolphins and fish) and their journeys trying to survive in the harsh and unforgiving ocean. Personally I don't think this book is meant for me. I don't really often gravitate towards books with animal protagonists and I have already forgotten the animals names. But I have to admit the writing was very good and a coherent plot was executed. For another reader, the dramas of the ocean would be very compelling. However unfortunately for me, it is just a case of the wrong book, so I am rounding it up to a 2.5.
Thanks to the author Laline Paull, Little Brown UK and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Should a book about dolphins have trigger warnings? I was not prepared. The jacket copy would have you believe this is an ecological story of family, when really it's the story of a lone female out on her own that gets sex trafficked and meets a battle-scarred military veteran trying to shake his drug habit ...but with dolphins. There's clam bukkake, puffer three-ways, mystical mantas, trans fish, rampant drug use, random telepathy and rape. I'm not kidding. Even if you're ready to fully lean into this, I still found the whole thing disjointed and wildly uneven. There's a long section with a trans fish that feels like a completely different short story wedged into the text, and the overall narrative is hastily rushed off the stage like the author just realized she was late for dinner. Shortlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction it clearly resonates for many, it just was not for me. I'd give it less stars but I had way too much fun reviewing the book itself.
