September 20, 2024 – Bridlington
Quite a beautiful read, a book that goes deeper than we have ever gone into an oceanic trench and further than we have ever travelled into space. We accompany Leigh, our protagonist; relatable, lonely, awkward, smart, introspective or perhaps neurotic. She's a scientist and a sister and a human being living through a technological advancement that changes her life.
This book is about scientific curiosity and it's also about life, death and being made of the same stuff as stars. It's about the specific and strange experience of swimming in the ocean and it's about never really knowing other people.
I enjoyed reading this on long train rides across Europe. It hits a particularly exciting zenith about 3/4 of the way through that had me gripped. The ending perhaps feels like a lull but it follows a narrative symmetry that brings a certain kind of satisfaction that I found on reflection.