Look: I love the ocean, but it is TERRIFYING. It is TOO BIG. There is TOO MUCH STUFF in there. Anything could happen to a frail human body in that unfathomable and indifferent abyss, and it's fascinating and horrible to think about, which is why I spend so much time before bed looking at r/thalassophobia and r/submechanophobia and why I was so excited to read Whalefall.

I found it almost impossible to stop reading this book. A riveting survival plot, emotional backstory revealed in flashback vignettes, and very short chapters all make this a "say 'fuck it' and stay up past bedtime to finish because I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS" sort of book.

Very character-driven and language-forward, but it doesn't skimp on harrowing survival efforts and the gross details of being swallowed by a whale, which is not the spacious situation that children's Bible illustrations of Jonah led us to believe back in Sunday school.

Highly recommended.