A review by contemporarymeepsie
Pod by Laline Paull

challenging dark informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Ea is a spinner dolphin that lives in a small pod with her Longi family and kin but when something goes terribly wrong, she decides to leave and gets caught up in the Tursiops megapod of bottlenose dolphins who are crude, violent and possessive. When the ocean demons come calling Ea and her found family have to fight and sacrifice to survive.
This novel is written from the perspective of a dolphin, which in itself, is already interesting. It is certainly unlike many other books I've read and I feel it has a lot of important things to say regarding the ocean and our relationship with the creatures that inhabit it. However I did feel it was a slow book to start. There is an entire subplot about a Wrasse that I had no clue why it was included. I was at 60% of the way through before I got interested. But that isn't to say it is bad. It's actually written very well, and the author did a fantastic job at characterising dolphins and fish so we cared about them as people. Ea is very lovable. Even though he is written to be annoying, I also really liked the Remora as a character.
Overall I found the book interesting but also difficult in places. I'm glad I read it but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Only those with an interest in climate books or books about the ocean.
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