Whalefall: A Novel
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
Named a Best Book of 2023 by Book Riot, Shelf Awareness, and NPR
The Martian meets 127 Hours in this “astoundingly great” (Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author) and scientifically accurate thriller about a scuba diver who’s been swallowed by an eighty-foot, sixty-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out.
Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand—to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay feels it’s the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad’s death by suicide the previous year.
The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out—one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.
Suspenseful and cinematic, Whalefall is an “powerfully humane” (Owen King, New York Times bestselling author) thriller about a young man who has given up on life…only to find a reason to live in the most dangerous and unlikely of places.
Named a Best Book of 2023 by Book Riot, Shelf Awareness, and NPR
The Martian meets 127 Hours in this “astoundingly great” (Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author) and scientifically accurate thriller about a scuba diver who’s been swallowed by an eighty-foot, sixty-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out.
Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand—to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay feels it’s the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad’s death by suicide the previous year.
The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out—one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.
Suspenseful and cinematic, Whalefall is an “powerfully humane” (Owen King, New York Times bestselling author) thriller about a young man who has given up on life…only to find a reason to live in the most dangerous and unlikely of places.
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Community Reviews
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus is a science fiction adventure thriller with a dash of horror all rolled into a deeply emotional story about a son’s complex feelings of grief for the death of his estranged father. And I didn’t want to put this one down, reading furiously to discover what would happen next!
Jay Gardiner has decided the only thing that will bring peace to his family is to recover the remains of his father off the coast of Monastery Beach in California, a location proclaimed by his father as the most dangerous beach in America, as well as being labeled ‘Mortuary Beach’ by locals and fellow divers due to its powerful rip current and steep drop-off. Jay will reluctantly use his father’s teachings to guide him, but can anything really prepare you to be swallowed by a whale?!
When I was invited to read Whalefall in June, I knew it sounded like one I would enjoy, but I’ve been trying to restrict the amount of early copies I read in order to read more off my existing shelves. BUT it was hard to resist this one, so I penciled it in to reconsider closer to the publishing date. Then I started seeing it everywhere and heard an adaptation had already been optioned. I knew I had to read it. I ended up reading it in one day, almost in one sitting, and it’s a great reminder to trust my gut about books.
We alternate between the past and present in this nerve-wracking novel, which works perfectly. We meet seventeen year old Jay as he’s preparing to dive at Monastery Beach, with cobbled together equipment, his father’s instructions intrusively running through his mind, and as he’s trying to make it into the water without being noticed. The chapters are mostly short and to the point, effectively ramping up the building tension, but we learn about Jay and his relationship with his father as Jay works through the steps he needs to take to get him safely under water to begin his search.
And everything that happens after that is astounding, but written with scientific facts that make it wholly believable. This one is being compared to The Martian and 127 Hours, and it’s spot-on. I couldn’t help being reminded of The Martian when I was reading this one with its lonely protagonist facing insurmountable odds, an inhospitable environment that seems determined to prove its strength, all backed with scientific facts, thankfully explained in layman terms.
But in Whalefall, the circumstances seem even more dire because Jay only has a limited amount of air, which means the bulk of the story taking place in the present day happens within a few hours.
Whalefall is a shocking, terrifying undersea adventure. If you’re fascinated with the ocean or man versus nature or the complex relationship between children and parents, you’ll find something that will capture you in Whalefall.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to MTV Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge23 (prompt #36 - A book you think your best friend would like)
Jay Gardiner has decided the only thing that will bring peace to his family is to recover the remains of his father off the coast of Monastery Beach in California, a location proclaimed by his father as the most dangerous beach in America, as well as being labeled ‘Mortuary Beach’ by locals and fellow divers due to its powerful rip current and steep drop-off. Jay will reluctantly use his father’s teachings to guide him, but can anything really prepare you to be swallowed by a whale?!
When I was invited to read Whalefall in June, I knew it sounded like one I would enjoy, but I’ve been trying to restrict the amount of early copies I read in order to read more off my existing shelves. BUT it was hard to resist this one, so I penciled it in to reconsider closer to the publishing date. Then I started seeing it everywhere and heard an adaptation had already been optioned. I knew I had to read it. I ended up reading it in one day, almost in one sitting, and it’s a great reminder to trust my gut about books.
We alternate between the past and present in this nerve-wracking novel, which works perfectly. We meet seventeen year old Jay as he’s preparing to dive at Monastery Beach, with cobbled together equipment, his father’s instructions intrusively running through his mind, and as he’s trying to make it into the water without being noticed. The chapters are mostly short and to the point, effectively ramping up the building tension, but we learn about Jay and his relationship with his father as Jay works through the steps he needs to take to get him safely under water to begin his search.
And everything that happens after that is astounding, but written with scientific facts that make it wholly believable. This one is being compared to The Martian and 127 Hours, and it’s spot-on. I couldn’t help being reminded of The Martian when I was reading this one with its lonely protagonist facing insurmountable odds, an inhospitable environment that seems determined to prove its strength, all backed with scientific facts, thankfully explained in layman terms.
But in Whalefall, the circumstances seem even more dire because Jay only has a limited amount of air, which means the bulk of the story taking place in the present day happens within a few hours.
Whalefall is a shocking, terrifying undersea adventure. If you’re fascinated with the ocean or man versus nature or the complex relationship between children and parents, you’ll find something that will capture you in Whalefall.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to MTV Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge23 (prompt #36 - A book you think your best friend would like)
Well that was an unpredictable emotional Rollercoaster. Mitt Gardiner was a garbled mix of my own father and my abusive ex. He even shared my ex's love of scuba diving! I'm still not sure how I feel about this book, but, oh man, did it make me feel everything all at once.
"No one carries the best part of themselves. The best parts are those held inside of others."
In this way wild story of a diver swallowed by a Sperm whale, Kraus delivers suspense, making the unbelievable believable, and a ton of emotional impact. Jay and Mitt are amazing characters and their relationship is what makes this book feel real.
I wasn't going to read this book. I didn't think it sounded like anything I'd care about. In January, a friend of mine said it was his favorite book of 2023. Later that week, I looked it up and found the hardcover was on sale, so I bought it.
Bonus: I LOVE this cover.
Thanks for making me read this, Greg! I owe you another beer.
5 stars, all day long!
In this way wild story of a diver swallowed by a Sperm whale, Kraus delivers suspense, making the unbelievable believable, and a ton of emotional impact. Jay and Mitt are amazing characters and their relationship is what makes this book feel real.
I wasn't going to read this book. I didn't think it sounded like anything I'd care about. In January, a friend of mine said it was his favorite book of 2023. Later that week, I looked it up and found the hardcover was on sale, so I bought it.
Bonus: I LOVE this cover.
Thanks for making me read this, Greg! I owe you another beer.
5 stars, all day long!
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