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Book Club: “Pod” by Laline Paull

Friday July 26th
Doors & drinks 6.30pm; Discussion starts 7pm

"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's description: 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. As a spinner dolphin who has recently come of age, she's now expected to join in the elaborate rituals that unite her pod. But Ea suffers from a type of deafness that prevents her from mastering the art of spinning. When catastrophe befalls her family and Ea knows she is partly to blame, she decides to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave the pod.

As Ea ventures into the vast, she discovers dangers everywhere, from lurking predators to strange objects floating in the water. Not to mention the ocean itself seems to be changing; creatures are mutating, demonic noises pierce the depths, whole species of fish disappear into the sky above. 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 recognizable to our own.

Reviews

"Brimming with timely commentary on the current ecological crisis as well as timeless questions about belonging and sacrifice, Pod is the stunningly original, propulsive tale of a troubled dolphin's terrifying quest, from the bestselling author of The Bees." - Waterstones

"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

Kairos, 84 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TG

Doors open at 6.30pm. Discussion starts at 7pm. Bring your own bottle. Vegan supper provided.

Free for members, £5 non-members. (Members please register in advance so we can plan numbers.)