Women's Prize for Fiction, 2023
"I was impressed... it is entirely set in the ocean. It is not science fiction. It is realistic. It is the here and now... And it is captivating" - Barbara Kingsolver, New York Times
"A fast, challenging story of survival in a rapidly changing seascape" - Daily Mail
Bestselling author Laline Paull returns with a gripping and transformative new novel of an ocean world - with its extraordinary creatures, secrets, and mythologies - increasingly haunted by the cruelty and ignorance of the human race.
Ea has always felt like an outsider. She suffers from a form of deafness that means she cannot master the swirling rituals that unite her pod of spinner dolphins. When tragedy strikes her family and Ea feels she bears some of the responsibility, she decides to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave.
As Ea roams into the infinite, she discovers dangers everywhere, from hidden predators to strange objects floating in the water. But as she begins to embrace her solitude, a chance encounter with a group of arrogant cuttlefish will unalterably change the course of her life.
In her frightening and dynamic novel, Laline Paull explores the true meaning of family, belonging, sacrifice - the harmony and tragedy of the pod - within an ocean that is no longer the sanctuary it once was and that mirrors a world all too recognizable in our own reality.
"Laline Paull excels at addressing the paramount literary challenge of our time - to give voice and power to other-than-human entities" - Amitav Ghosh
Pages: 272, Year of Publication: 0411, Dimensions: 19.2x19.2cm
