Whalefall

Starred review from May 1, 2023

Kraus, coauthor of The Shape of Water with Guillermo del Toro, presents a nerve-wracking tale of survival in Monterey, CA. Jay is a young scuba diver who has a contentious history with his father, a local legend and maritime master. Feeling crushed under the weight of expectation and disappointment, Jay performs one last dive to prove himself. When he's swallowed by a sperm whale, with only one hour before his scuba tanks runs out of oxygen, he'll have to draw upon everything he's ever learned from his father and the ocean to get free. The novel conveys a great respect for nature, especially for whales and the ethereal beauty and ferocious dangers of the ocean. The scientific and biological accuracy enhances the disturbing realism of what it would actually be like to be swallowed by a whale. Jay's plight is viscerally intense and claustrophobic, even as he grapples with real and raw emotions that stem from remorse and a need for reconciliation. VERDICT This hard sci-fi thriller is full of cinematic and wild suspense and would be great for fans of Andy Weir, although the tone is far more austere.--Andrea Dyba

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June 5, 2023
This gripping sci-fi thriller from bestseller Kraus (who previously coauthored the novelization of The Shape of Water with Guillermo del Torro) takes readers quite literally into the belly of the beast. After local diving legend Mitt Gardiner dies in a suicide by drowning, his estranged high school–age son, Jay, sets out to bolster his own reputation as a diver by retrieving his father’s remains. Returning to the water after two years away from his domineering dad, Jay makes the risky dive. Instead of locating the body, however, he finds a giant squid, and then a massive sperm whale finds them both. Accidentally ingested, Jay struggles to escape the whale’s belly before the creature either digests him or retreats to depths that could crush him. Jay’s struggle to free himself from his blubbery prison mirrors his struggle to free himself from his father’s shadow, which forms the real heart of the story. Kraus provides solid nautical science alongside the stretchy coincidences that fuel Jay’s survival. Just on the brink of horror fiction, especially for the claustrophobic, this deep-sea thrill ride will have readers on the edges of their seats.

Starred review from May 1, 2023
Prolific, best-selling Kraus presents a moving character study disguised as a riveting, cinematic survival thriller. Jay is a high-school senior dealing not only with the loss of his local-hero and diving-legend father, Mitt, but also his unresolved anger with their complicated relationship. In an attempt to bring some peace to his mother and sisters, Jay attempts a dangerous solo dive that is cut short when he is swallowed by a whale. The story is told from Jay's point of view in short, alternating chapters set in the present, denoted by how much air is left in his tank, and the past, mostly between 2015 and 2021, allowing readers to immediately fall into the story. The pacing is relentless, the awe astounding, and the tension palpably constricting, even as Kraus takes time to provide necessary details both scientific and visceral. However, it is Jay's constant growth throughout the story that makes this novel shine, allowing its beauty to emerge and leave its mark on all who encounter it. An easy sell to fans of ocean horror like Pressure (2016), by Brian Keene, or harrowing survival stories like 127 Hours (2004), by Aron Ralston, but also to those who love the wonder, disgust, and heartfelt emotions found in Eric LaRocca's work.

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March 1, 2024

Jay's strained relationship with his demanding diver father caused him to leave home at age 15. Two years later, his father dies by suicide, plunging his weighted body into the depths of the deadly water off Monastery Beach. In one final act to seek approval, Jay dives into the dangerous bay looking for his father's remains. Tension slowly builds as Jay wrestles with unpredictable currents, a giant squid, and the approach of a hungry whale. In between hallucinations and flashbacks of their tempestuous relationship, Jay's air supply dwindles with each turn of the page, and readers sink into the belly of the whale right along with him. Teens who enjoy philosophical musings will gladly enter the abyss with Jay, though those who get frustrated with existential books such as Moby Dick may feel lost in the murkiness of this underwater survival story. However, the pacing is much brisker here, aided by short chapters and the balance of back story and impending doom. Science-minded teens will appreciate the problem-solving required of Jay, which is written convincingly as a product of Kraus's research with marine biologists and professional divers. VERDICT Recommended for young adults who enjoy reading about complex parental relationships, science fiction, and survival stories.-Carrie Shaurette

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.