The Whale Tattoo

Product Information

I have a slight inkling of what it was trying to achieve - but it was so abstractly depicted that in the end, it was neither impressive or impactful - just nonsensical. Jeanne Marie Laskas talks to DeRay Mckesson at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Every day, President Obama received 10,000 letters from ordinary Americans; every night he read ten, and he wrote back.

The Whale Tattoo’ is a stunning achievement - one of the most impressive and assured debuts I’ve ever read'. The body of water it holds penetrates the protagonist’s psyche, floods reality in a way that is both hungry and foreboding. This almost biblical event has affected both the area and Eli greatly, and he's still trying to pick up the pieces of his life. When a giant sperm whale washes up on the local beach it tells Joe Gunner that death will follow him wherever he goes. Ransom’s writing keeps readers alert since there are generally no warnings of time shifts nor clear distinctions between reality and illusion.It's one of those books where you know something bad is about to happen, something bad has happened - an impending sense of underlying doom. Not a word is wasted and the narration reflects the dialogue where the characters converse in clipped tones. These lessons that come again and again, like wild weather busting in from the Wash, getting beneath your skin. It’s somehow simultaneously sluggish and desperately paced, truly reflecting Joe (and several of those around him) — emotionally resigned to this life of struggling, but with a bitter hope of more pulsing through nonetheless. A man more alive than any I’d ever gazed upon' was intriguing and I hoped to see what would come of it, especially in comparison to how Eli was treated by Shane.

For now, the memory of this story has galloped through my head as quickly as it raced through it's storyline. With no smartphones or internet, and a set of characters who are sometimes deeply homophobic, it has a timeless quality and could be set at any time from the 1960’s to the present day. We find innovative solutions to help people into employment and campaign in parliament for a better future. A destructive love affair with his best friend from school is picked up where he left off, but soon ends in tragedy that begins to unravel the last bit of normality Joe has.

Unforgettable characters abound, and Ransom achieves an incredible sense of place while keeping you in the dark in terms of where it actually is. Raynor Winn with Sally Magnusson: Nature and Mortality The Salt Path chronicled the experiences of Raynor Winn and her husband Moth when, both in their 50s, they were evicted from their beloved farm in Wales. From one of the most acclaimed debut novelists of 2022 author of The Whale Tattoo, winner of the Polari Prize First Book award 2023, Jon's new book The Gallopers is a visceral and mesmerising novel of deceit, desire and unspeakable loss . the water whispering truths and lies to him, drawing him closer and giving him a constant sense of doom. As time goes on and we learn more about them, the characters gain more complexity giving the story a rich texture.

The story assumes a non linear structure, almost like throwing broken pieces on the ground and arranging them into a collage, an epic of loss and ultimately hope. With a foggy quay biting into a marsh, and a river that taunts Joe with its whispers, the story’s setting never stops feeding its ghoulish dealings. Ultimately, this is a tale of hope in the face of our demons and an exercise in finding the beauty and tenderness in the brutality of life.

This book felt reminiscent of something like a Max Porter or an Andrew Michael Hurley, at the same time shot through with shades of Douglas Stuart. I loved the idea of a book like Allan Sillitoe or Thomas Mcguane but with a gay MC, but I bounced hard off of the structure. Having stormed out of home two years ago, Joe knows he has to go back, even though it won’t be easy. This was a particular concern with the imagery around water and the eponymous whale tattoo, but this all makes sense. There is plenty of frank sex as well as violence, confusion, anger, love, hate, hope, kindness, generosity, egotism, selfless and selfishness and every other emotion, action and potential action that you can think of.