Pod: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

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I bought this book, like most people, because I really enjoyed The Bees. The characters in that were anthropomorphised enough to be relatable, but they remained very much another species with their own rules and codes and world. The story was easy to follow without being too obvious and the main character was instantly likeable. The end was triumphant and I found myself invested in the whole thing, whilst learning a little at the same time. Jones, Gwyneth (21 May 2014). "The Bees by Laline Paull review – a fantasy with a sting in its tail | Books". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 April 2016. The story is engaging. Life in the oceans is threatened, and the rituals and practices of thousands of years are no longer protection against man-made destruction. It’s a story for our times. I jumped at the chance to read Pod, after having bought The Bees and been bowled over by the Mayan inspired beehive world the author created. In that respect, I thought I was prepared for what Pod might offer. This is the story of two rival tribes of dolphins, the massive and boorish bottlenose, and the far small, cultured and peace-loving tribe of spinners. The main POV is Ea’s, a young female spinner dolphin who is always at odds with her family group, to the point that she creates a tragedy so terrible, she exiles herself thinking it will lead to death.

I was drawn to this book because of how different the story was. Narrated by a dolphin called Ea, the book went into detail about what the life of the dolphin is like - both within and without its pod. Author, Laline Paull really utilises this unique perspective to humanise the struggle that marine life is having against the destructiveness of humanity, giving nature a voice in a way that I have not experienced before. A changing ocean, becoming inexplicably hostile. The struggle for resources, the anxiety, the anger. The ocean is full of miracles, not least the fact that it gives us the oxygen for every other breath we take. Our survival is inextricably linked to ocean health, yet our species continues to degrade and exploit it. Terrible details to face, yet countless wonders. How could we do this to our world? How can we stop it?”A marvelous work of fiction. The parallels to “1984” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” are numerous but this story is also its own. Florida Times-Union

Anyway, this is all to say that in 2022 one book swam swiftly through my system leaving no less than two :-0’s in its wake, and merits not just a proper write-up but a strong exhortation to consider getting your hands on a copy for yourself or someone else. On this final weekend before Christmas, I commend to you Pod, by Laline Paull, the most extraordinary, beautiful, dramatic and arresting novel I’ve read this year. She is taken by force into the megapod of 500 bottlenose dolphins, the Tursiops, the same dolphins that usurped her tribe. The dolphins are much bigger than Ea and she is easily captured by a teenage group. She is raped but makes some alliances within the hareem. This pod is large, noisy and the members are controlled through patriarchal bullying and violence. For example, here is the excitement of the hunt with the bottlenose dolphins. Sometimes those behaviours mimic dysfunctional aspects of human societal behaviour, such as those brought about by a system of domination, the use of violence and subjugation to keep the female species in line, making examples of the weak and young, banishing the old. At the same time, their signals become confused by the changing conditions of the ocean, the noise from large ships, pollution, mutations, a general warming and the presence of a large contaminated patch full of micro-plastics. But this is not a tale removed from reality. The wonders of the ocean is starkly contrasted with a raw and brutal insight into the devastation of human impact on our oceans and the suffering of its abundant wildlife and animals. It’s an absolutely astonishing tale that will leave you reeling long after reading. I felt a lot of sadness and shame at how humans take the beauty of our natural planet for granted. The ending floored me and it was excruciating to read but I recognise the importance of this story to bring awareness to the appalling treatment of our oceans and the destruction of ‘people’ that see it as it’s safe sanctuary, its home.

The list is completed by Pod by Laline Paull, who was previously shortlisted for the prize in 2015 for her novel The Bees. Pod is a work of inspired genius, set in the ocean, from within pods of dolphins, we see the ocean as the world, peopled by different species that as their environment changes, change their habits and behaviours towards others species. I imagined Pod would be similar, but with Dolphins. Laline Paull does her homework on animals and their environment so I was chuffed to bits to get the novel as soon as it came out.

If you didn’t like it, I understand. It’s tough to hear. This whole novel is tough to hear, because what’s happening to our oceans is an unbearable catastrophe that we must nevertheless face, and try to remedy. 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. The Belefast Telegraph I am already someone who literally *cannot*hurt*a*fly* and I'm finding it quite hard to stop imagining the world from any and every other creature around me now. I want to read The Bees next but maybe need a little break first so I don't start actually trying to communicate with animals....This was a long read for me despite it being a relatively short book. We follow different ocean creatures such as dolphins, whales, and crustaceans as they live their lives in the depths of the oceans. I’ve never read a book like this one before, but I just knew I wanted to give it a go and I’m glad I did. This book is heavy on oceanology and marine life so if you aren’t really interested in any of that they you might want to give this one a miss, but for those that are curious and wish to know more, or would like to see what an ocean mammal might get up to give it a try. The narrative is shared by Ea, a spinner dolphin separated from her pod after a tragedy who ultimately ends up forced to become a member of the Megapod of bottlenose dolphins; a lone Rorqual whale whose sad song Ea hears; a giant Napoleon Wrasse who also finds himself alone; and Google, a military-trained dolphin who has spent most of his life in the company of “anthrops”. In the course of the story, we also meet a parasitic Remora fish that attaches itself to Ea and the salpa salpa, tranquilizer fish that are consumed for their ability to induce sleep and help with pain among the cetacean creatures. Also set in the 70s, but this time in Belfast, Louise Kennedy’s Trespasses sees a young Catholic woman fall in love with a Protestant married man. What makes it a quiet masterpiece is its utter conviction and evocation of emotion, time and place, with unexpected moments of humour while it sweeps towards its inevitable conclusion. Even though you know where it is heading, the ending offers a moment of such clarity and unsentimental connection that we were all moved to tears. Devastating and beautiful, there is not one false note. Each pod has pride and virtue, each feels above the other. They do not know they share one fatal flaw: they think they know this ocean.” I learnt a fair bit whilst I was reading the book too - about lots of different fish, dolphins, the moon, the ocean, etc. The author does mention that there was some poetic license used, but I still felt like the story had been really well researched. In my copy, the author lists some of the materials she used to write the book, and the writing definitely inspired me to watch some of the documentaries she mentioned to learn more.

It is appropriate to mourn the losses, who really knows what it must be like to be a marine animal living in an environment that has been so compromised by a species that lives on land, that continually exploits, pollutes and disregards the fragile biosphere within which they dwell.I usually try to be respectful of other people’s opinions on books but people giving this a low rating because of the scenes of rape are absolutely astounding to me.