A truly beautiful, touching story

 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ A whale is beached on a small Welsh island in 1938 marking a change for the locals, particularly Manod, a young woman who sees the bleakness of island life and looking to the mainland for her future. Soon two English anthropologists arrive seeking her help to translate local stories and songs for them. Could this be her pathway from a dying community?

Whale Fall is a quick read but one packed full of beauty, simple joy, bursting with the power of nature. Atmospheric in a cold, wet, salty coastal existence that feels palpable to the reader. The sense of a lost time with traditions and beliefs being swept away with the tide brings urgency to this haunting story. Manod's internal conflict, wanting more in her life for her sister and herself, and this possible way out warms with personal crisis of opportunity slipping away. Whilst Manod works with the outsiders, her delightful sister and father crack on without Manod's hope. A truly beautiful, touching story.