Pod: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

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The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on 14 June. The 2022 prize was won by Ruth Ozeki for The Book of Form and Emptiness. The narrative story becomes so (predictably) awful as the end nears (“Finding Nemo” for adults is to do the children’s story a disservice.) Even if you are a reader who likes a conclusive wrap up, and unexpected twists, this book takes the reader on a journey of coincidence layered upon unlikely friendships, and predominantly happy happy conclusions. I didn’t buy into any of the relationships between the sea creatures described. Pod is told through the eyes of Ea, a spinner dolphin, and is a story about an ocean world increasingly haunted by the cruelty and ignorance of humans. Okojie said the book “speaks to climate change and is also a wonderful celebration of family”. 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.

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 Creamer, Ella (12 July 2023). "Royal Society of Literature aims to broaden representation as it announces 62 new fellows". The Guardian.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.

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. Ea has always felt like an outsider. She suffers from a type of deafness that means she cannot master the spinning rituals that unite her pod of spinner dolphins. When tragedy strikes her family and Ea feels she is partly to blame, she decides to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave. It was rotting and he guessed its mother had stayed beside her little one, until she could no longer bear it. Or the sharks came. And yet … there were also many sharks caught in the veil of death.” 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. Laline Paull has an ability to digest and reproduce a great deal of information about the natural world, in this case about two kinds of dolphins, among other ocean creatures. While not ramming her research down your throat, she manages to give the reader confidence that she knows her stuff. The author’s imagination allows us to connect with life in ‘the vast’.Minchin said: “The diversity of thought and creativity of women writers at the moment is vast and exciting and inspiring. The list is eclectic and there are so many different types of stories and types of voices. For me, it took me to places that I wouldn’t necessarily have gone before.” To spin like everyone else was the key to fitting in, and if she could only hear the music of the ocean like everyone else, she too would be able to tune in and do it. Do I have any redeeming elements to the book? Group behaviour by several fish types described makes me more respectful, and understanding, of the fish in my small pond at home(!) Rife with violence, darkness, and danger, Pod is compelling and high stakes, but also filled with a deep wonder and empathy for myriad lifeforms and lifeways of our oceans." Orion Magazine Instead, she finds herself exploring a vast and frightening ocean. When she becomes the captive of a group of arrogant bottlenose males, she realises life is precious, even in these terrifying new conditions – and does whatever she must, to survive.

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. 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 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....Thank you Laline Paull for writing this book! My heart is a little broken after reading but I feel like this book was made for me. The book is lyrical an I found myself in a magical underworld and I was in awe. I appreciate all the research that Paull conducted for this book as I learnt so much. The ramora fish disgusted yet fascinated me! The effects of the dreamfish was mesmerising.

It's an ambitious concept and at times difficult to read, due to the treatment inflicted and the dire presence of man, acting in a way that yields little respect for the environment these creatures live and spawn within. Ultimately, it explores aspects of belonging to a species, how they control from inside and treat outsiders and the rebel within.However, whilst some of the book was very good (I loved Google, was interested in the Rorqual and really wanted the Wrasse to triumph) other parts were draggy or just a bit gross. Is the sea gross? Well, yeah, turns out it is, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily want to wade through its sperm-choked waves witnessing multiple gang rapes and shit-eating remoras, I’ll be honest with you. Scott, Catherine (11 June 2014). "The Bees by Laline Paull, review: 'ambitious and beautiful' ". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 21 April 2016. Minchin, who is a broadcaster and writer, said the books on the list were “ambitious and hard-hitting and imaginative, and they take you on an emotional journey that I feel moved by and inspired by”. When I first heard that this book was narrated from the voice of a dolphin I was immediately intrigued. Paull has created the most original and immersive experience. I was transported to the lives of majestic and beautiful marine creatures, big and small, that all play a part in the ocean’s ecosystem.