Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'ConnorMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Taking place in 1938 on a small island 5 miles off the coast of Wales, a whale washes up on the shore. The villagers try to get it back to the sea, but it does not work. The story is told from Manod’s point of view. She is 18 this summer and expected to get married, but there are only one or two boys. Manod says she needs to take care of her sister, who is 7 years younger, they are motherless, but really Manod is not sure she wants to be a wife.
Two researchers come to the island to record their way of life. They take photographs, write down the stories and record their songs on a phonograph. Manod is hired as an assistant since her English is good and can help translate from Welsh. She wants to go back with them when they leave, they even lead her to believe they will take her.
The book highlights the diminishing population of the small islands around the British Isles. The younger ones may not want to continue the traditional way of life, mostly fishing. Then the researchers who portray this life don’t get it quite right either, sometimes purposefully. It’s a short book, could be read in just a few hours.
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