Pod : A Novel

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION*

An astonishing and immersive new novel, Pod takes the reader into the depths of the oceanand into the world of its fascinating inhabitantsthrough the eyes of the beautiful Ea, a spinner dolphin.

Laline Paull returns with an immersive and transformative new novel of an ocean worldits extraordinary creatures, mysteries, and mythologiesthat 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, shes 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, sacrificethe harmony and tragedy of the podwithin an ocean that is no longer the sanctuary it once was, and which reflects a world all too recognizable to our own.