4.5*
I'm not going to lie to you and say that it isn't a little strange reading from a whale's perspective. It is. But, in a way that only Patrick Ness could, it's turned into a tale that not only made me care about some whales, but provides a pretty honest and raw commentary on humanity. Via whales, and yes, I fully understand and appreciate the irony.
It's a short book, so I am not going to get into it too much, for fear of ruining things. But you can expect the following:
- •Gorgeously lyrical writing as you generally find with Patrick Ness is just as plentiful here as ever. Plus, it works fabulously with the nature of the story. (Nature, ha, pun not even intended!)
- •Pictures! I am clearly eight years old and much prefer when my books come with pretty drawings. Here for Rovina's. Cannot wait to see the finished copy, which I will obviously need to own.
- •It's very thought provoking. Because again, point of view of a whale being hunted by asshole humans. (And we really kind of are sometimes, aren't we?)
- •Feels. You will care a lot about a whale, for real. It was interesting too, because I read this right around the time that the mother whale carried around her dead calf, it was on the news every day, and all my whale feels were amplified.
Bottom Line: I stan one (1) whale.