‘Whalefall’ Review – A Tense, Thrilling Tale of Grief And Survival

It’s often said that we know less about the Earth’s oceans than we do about outer space. And there’s a primal fear that goes along with that lack of knowledge. What lurks at the bottom of the ocean? What manner of beast prowls the ocean floor, its bioluminescence bringing light to the unflinching darkness? And what of that leviathan of the deep, the whale? That hulking monstrosity, almost unknowable in its nigh-cosmic horror? Daniel Kraus makes great use of all these fears in Whalefall. All at once a tense, scientifically accurate exploration of surviving inside a whale’s stomach mixed with a touching story of overcoming grief and laying to rest one’s regrets. It’s a tense, emotional read that’s both thrilling and occasionally bogged down by scientific minutiae. But, at its best, Whalefall delivers a read unlike any other.

Inside the Belly of the Whale

Jay Gardiner’s spent his life feeling trapped in his father’s shadow. Mitt, a beloved fixture of the community, is everything Jay isn’t. Even in death, Jay can’t escape his father’s influence. And so he does the only thing he can think of. He searches the ocean floor, hoping to find any bit of Mitt’s remains. It’s a dangerous dive, but one Jay hopes will help assuage the guilt he feels; a journey he hopes will bring him closer to his family. But Jay’s hopes are dashed as, minutes into the dive, a whale swallows him whole. And soon, it’s a race against time as Jay desperately tries to escape the belly of the whale before running out of oxygen. And maybe, just maybe, letting go of the past that drags him down in the process.

With Whalefall, Kraus delivers a haunting, emotional, thrilling, and dangerously tense tale. While the first third occasionally feels bogged down by all the scientific minutiae of Jay’s dive, the rest of the book easily makes it all worthwhile. Whalefall is the kind of read that sticks with you long after the final chapter. The publisher makes a comparison to both 127 Hours and The Martian, and that feels pretty appropriate overall. Whalefall is claustrophobic, filled with painful isolation bordering on the edge of madness. One-part science fiction, one-part cosmic horror, with an overwhelming sense of grief permeating the entire story. Whalefall doesn’t necessarily nail everything it’s trying to be, but when it works, it soars.

An Exploration of Regret and Grief

On the surface, Whalefall reads like any number of survival stories. Man goes out into nature (or, in this case, deep under the sea). Man quickly discovers that nature is far scarier than it appears. And time ticks away as Man frantically fights for his life against an uncontrollable world that’s wholly disinterested in his survival. But underneath all of that, Whalefall is far more concerned with the intersection of grief and regret. For this is a survival story, yes. But it’s also a story about fathers and sons. About working your way through unbearable, all-consuming grief. And about letting the sins of the past wash over you, finding ways to forgive yourself and those who’ve wronged you. And it’s through this emotional core that Whalefall truly soars.

Kraus focuses on Jay’s fractured relationship with his father. All the ways Mitt hurt him, made him feel lesser and unwanted. And all the ways Jay, in return, hurt his father. All of this grief and regret drive Jay. They drive him to search the ocean floor for Mitt’s remains, a desperate ploy to prove to his family that he does care about his father. And even inside the belly of the whale, Jay spends as much time fighting with Mitt’s memory (or, perhaps, disembodied spirit?) as he does fighting for survival. And Kraus mines that battle for all its worth. What level of kindness do parents and their children owe each other? And how do you find peace in the face of such insurmountable grief? Whalefall commits to exploring these questions with all the nuance they deserve – and that exploration is when the book’s at its best.

A True Slow Burn

For as good as Whalefall‘s emotional core is, however, Kraus’ commitment to scientific accuracy proves challenging. Early on, Whalefall feels bogged down by all of the minutiae of Jay’s dive. Sure, Kraus eventually ties all of that minutiae into Jay’s eventual fight for survival, each piece of the puzzle nicely combining into a satisfying whole. But there’s definitely a sense of “can we get on with it?” to those earlier parts of the book. If you’re not super into diving or marine biology, the first third of Whalefall may prove difficult to get through. Initially, it’s a slow burn in all the wrong ways. Tedious, rather than tense. Meandering rather than focused.

But once Jay ends up in the belly of the whale, and his fight for survival properly starts, things take a turn for the thrilling. Suddenly, Whalefall transforms into a tense compulsive page-turner, the kind that rewards you for your patience during its slower moments. Kraus perfectly captures the horror of being swallowed alive. The ticking clock as your air slowly runs out, the existential dread of knowing you’re about to die, the painful hope as you desperately try anything to keep that future from coming true. Whalefall‘s a haunting read, both emotionally and narratively. It plays on some of our most primal fears, combining them with the kind of emotional core that really hits home. It’s a slow read, to be sure. But that slower pace eventually pays off in the end.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, Daniel Kraus’ Whalefall delights as much as it frustrates. It’s an unflinchingly tense thriller that deftly explores the intersection between grief and regret. But it’s also scientifically accurate to a fault, with an incredibly slow first act that proves difficult to get into. Get past that first third, however, and you’re rewarded with a truly compulsive page-turner, the kind of book that sticks with you long after you finish it. If you’ve ever read one of Kraus’ books, you’ve got a decent idea of what to expect thematically. But there are a lot of surprises in Whalefall, a book that flirts with cosmic horror as much as it flirts with realism. It’s a book unlike any you’ll read this summer, and well worth a read if you’re looking for a dose of emotion with your existential dread.

Whalefall is available now in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook formats from MTV Books/Simon & Schuster.

DISCLAIMER: A review copy of Whalefall was provided by the publisher. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.