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anusha_reads 's review for:
Pod: A Novel
by Laline Paull
POD BY LALINE PAULL, SHORTLISTED FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023
HAPPY WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY!
It is an apt book for the day!
“THE OCEAN IS ALWAYS WAITING FOR US. WE ARE PART OF HER; SHE IS PART OF US.”
There is an author's note at the end of the book, which talks about how the author had to study several marine species, refer to encyclopaedias, and websites and had to talk to concerned people; to write this book.
A dystopian, fantasy, magical realism, and nature writing. It reads like a well-researched book with loads of information about sea creatures, their scientific names, their habitat etc.
“TO SPIN LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WAS THE KEY TO FITTING IN, AND IF SHE COULD ONLY HEAR THE MUSIC OF THE OCEAN LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, SHE TOO WOULD BE ABLE TO TUNE IN AND DO IT.”
The story revolves mainly around Ea, a spinner dolphin of the remote and peaceful Longi tribe. Ea leaves her tribe and ventures out into the vast ocean. Ea’s life revolves around the pod, consisting of the Longi tribe and its spinner dolphins and the notorious megapod, consisting of the Tursiops tribe and its common bottlenose dolphins. Ea meets Wrasse, Rorqual, the melancholic whale and Google and members of the Tursiops tribe.
She witnesses fights, politics, thugs, murder, rape, pollution, and cultural differences between the two clans. She faces tumultuous problems herself, making the story dark, gloomy and disturbing.
I loved the character Google, a dolphin bred in captivity which gets lost in the sea. It was sad to see him feeling helpless. He kept reiterating that anthrops love them, which I found very cute.
Parts of the anthropomorphic structure felt like George Orwell’s Animal Farm as they used to talk and contest with authority within their clan and fight with the members of another clan. Moreover, there was a very evident power struggle.
“THE TRUTH IS HARD TO BELIEVE, HARDER TO BEAR.”
The author has beautifully integrated the horrors of marine pollution caused by humans, oil spills, discarded fishing nets, plastic, and sound pollution into the story. These and other environmental factors which affect oceanic life.
I found this read tough and quite academic and it took me some time to gyrate to the beats of the book.
Give it a whirl if you love reading about oceanic creatures.
HAPPY WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY!
It is an apt book for the day!
“THE OCEAN IS ALWAYS WAITING FOR US. WE ARE PART OF HER; SHE IS PART OF US.”
There is an author's note at the end of the book, which talks about how the author had to study several marine species, refer to encyclopaedias, and websites and had to talk to concerned people; to write this book.
A dystopian, fantasy, magical realism, and nature writing. It reads like a well-researched book with loads of information about sea creatures, their scientific names, their habitat etc.
“TO SPIN LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WAS THE KEY TO FITTING IN, AND IF SHE COULD ONLY HEAR THE MUSIC OF THE OCEAN LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, SHE TOO WOULD BE ABLE TO TUNE IN AND DO IT.”
The story revolves mainly around Ea, a spinner dolphin of the remote and peaceful Longi tribe. Ea leaves her tribe and ventures out into the vast ocean. Ea’s life revolves around the pod, consisting of the Longi tribe and its spinner dolphins and the notorious megapod, consisting of the Tursiops tribe and its common bottlenose dolphins. Ea meets Wrasse, Rorqual, the melancholic whale and Google and members of the Tursiops tribe.
She witnesses fights, politics, thugs, murder, rape, pollution, and cultural differences between the two clans. She faces tumultuous problems herself, making the story dark, gloomy and disturbing.
I loved the character Google, a dolphin bred in captivity which gets lost in the sea. It was sad to see him feeling helpless. He kept reiterating that anthrops love them, which I found very cute.
Parts of the anthropomorphic structure felt like George Orwell’s Animal Farm as they used to talk and contest with authority within their clan and fight with the members of another clan. Moreover, there was a very evident power struggle.
“THE TRUTH IS HARD TO BELIEVE, HARDER TO BEAR.”
The author has beautifully integrated the horrors of marine pollution caused by humans, oil spills, discarded fishing nets, plastic, and sound pollution into the story. These and other environmental factors which affect oceanic life.
I found this read tough and quite academic and it took me some time to gyrate to the beats of the book.
Give it a whirl if you love reading about oceanic creatures.