I received an online ARC of this book from the publisher. This is one of the most atmospheric books I’ve ever read. I’m personally usually bored by setting/nature descriptions in books, but they were so vivid and purposeful here since the whole story depended on and centered around this remote island setting. Whale Fall offered interesting commentary on the practice of privileged outsiders from “modern society” traveling into a space that they deem “backwards” and “too traditional” and exploiting it, exoticizing it, overly romanticizing it in a way that’s baffling and offensive to the locals. Joan and Edward are two English people who travel to the island to write a book on its people, but they often fabricate details of these people’s lives to make them seem more appealing and exotic to the English audience of their book, using and manipulating the main character Manod along the way. At first she is dazzled by their opulence, the tales they tell her of life on the Mainland and the freedoms women have there, but she begins to feel protective and guarded of her people once Joan and Edward start romanticizing their way of life to the point that it’s more fiction than fact, taking advantage of Monad and the other locals physically, sexually, etc., while also exposing them to and recruiting them for “the Great War.” I found it very interesting to know that this story is based on real events with people fabricating the way of life of people in the British Isles, but I’m also not surprised. It was very frustrating to read Joan and Edward taking advantage of these people, but it did a good job  pointing to the power and privilege that they held and their colonizing, imperialist attitudes; just leave these people alone!! I loved the scenery descriptions in this book, especially with the whale slowly rotting on the beach for the entirety of the story, which felt so reminiscent of Joan and Edward’s presence tainting the island. The interactions between Manod and her sister were also so caring and lovely, and I appreciate that Manod wasn’t hard on her for being a bone collecting, superstitious kid that does weird things sometimes. I was also a fan of the folktales interspersed throughout the story, and I almost would have liked more of them. I think that the explorations of Manod’s budding sexuality are intriguing, especially with her masturbating to the thought of Joan in one scene, but I almost would have liked a little more, especially if this is meant to suggest repressed queerness. It doesn’t seem that Manod particularly enjoyed having sex with men so much as she enjoyed having their attention, which she says herself at one point, suggesting comphet, but I think the story didn’t quite get that far, not that it has to. I also would have liked to understand Manod’s relationship with her father a little better because he didn’t have much of a character other than his occupation defining him. Overall, this was a very quick and enjoyable read that has such beautifully vivid descriptions that drip from the pages.