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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION, 2023

‘Knocked my socks off . . . it is set entirely in the ocean. It’s not science fiction. It’s realistic. It’s set in the here and now . . . And it’s fascinating’ Barbara Kingsolver in the New York Times

‘A pacy, provocative tale of survival in a fast-changing marine landscape’ Daily Mail

Bestselling author Laline Paull returns with an immersive and transformative new novel of an ocean world – its extraordinary creatures, mysteries, and mythologies – that is increasingly haunted by the cruelty and ignorance of the human race.

Ea has always felt like an outsider. She suffers from a type of deafness that means she cannot master the spinning rituals that unite her pod of spinner dolphins. When tragedy strikes her family and Ea feels she is partly to blame, she decides to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave.

As Ea ventures into the vast, she discovers dangers everywhere, from lurking predators to strange objects floating in the water. But just as she is coming to terms with her solitude, a chance encounter with a group of arrogant bottlenoses will irrevocably alter the course of her life.

In her terrifying, propulsive 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 which reflects a world all too recognisable to our own.

‘Laline Paull succeeds splendidly in rising to the most important literary challenge of our time – restoring voice and agency to other-than-human beings’ Amitav Ghosh

Publisher Review

Laline Paull succeeds splendidly in rising to the most important literary challenge of our time - restoring voice and agency to other-than-human beings * Amitav Ghosh * A pacy, provocative tale of survival in a fast-changing marine landscape * Daily Mail * Extraordinary...A haunting story * Red magazine * One for those intrigued by Cli-Fi . . . [a] terrifying novel * Cosmo, 'Best new good books to read' * Thought provoking...The dramas of the ocean are played out in a perfectly compiled plot and, as you'd expect, the beauty of the underwater is vividly and sensitively written. It's another conversation starter * Belfast Telegraph * What an extraordinary empathetic tale of life beneath the waves that spoke deeply to my salty heart . . . an absolutely essential read of an almost "psychedelic shaman" perspective of our underwater cousins * Ed Gillespie, author of Only Planet * Any Laline Paull book release is something to get excited about. I love her work. Truly a distinctive force * Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch * Propulsive and pertinent... at once beautiful and terrifying, Paull captures the complexity of the dolphin pod dynamics, themes of family and belonging, and an eye-opening perspective of humanity's huge influence on the lives of sea creatures * Bridge Bookshop * Keep an eye out for Pod ... [a] brilliant new novel, set amongst a dolphin community * The Bookanista *