Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the story of a sea postman, who meets a 100,000 year old whale on his route one day. The two are kindred souls, in a sense. We also see his relationship with his wife, who is expecting.

This is a quiet, introspective book, and a quick read to boot. I enjoyed the the opening pages immensely, about the importance of telling stories, and how the sea has no one to tell her stories for her. I think this, above all, is the theme. Especially in the end where we see that the whale's story and legacy carries on in ways she could not have prepared for or predicted, yet the man can only suspect what has happened.

I enjoyed the intimacy of the artwork, and I think that part of the story, more than the words, affected me deeply.

Also, this is flipping sad. I was not prepared.