
To Become a Whale
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Narrated by:
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Ric Herbert
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By:
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Ben Hobson
About this listen
To Become a Whale tells the story of 13-year-old Sam Keogh, whose mother has died.
Sam has to learn how to live with his silent, hitherto absent father, who decides to make a man out of his son by taking him to work at Tangalooma, then the largest whaling station in the Southern Hemisphere. What follows is the story of a gentle boy trying to make sense of the terrible reality of whaling and the cruelty and alienation of his new world.
©2017 Ben Hobson (P)2017 W.F. Howes LtdCritic Reviews
"A powerful tale of fathers and sons and all that can't be spoken between them. Rare, original...it made me feel so much." (Sofie Laguna, author of the Miles Franklin Award-winning The Eye of the Sheep)
"Hobson takes us to the depths of cruelty to show us life. A boy tries to be a man, a man tries to be a father, and both struggle to navigate what it means to be men. A great study in masculinity." (Willy Vlautin)
Questions are raised throughout the story as to why the father was the way he was towards his co-workers on the flensing deck and also towards Sam which are answered in due course.
The novel is vivid in detail and the pace is steady as scenes build up and grow with each chapter which helps the reader to easily follow the story, even in flashback, which occurs throughout the book.
This rear gem of Australian literature, though only published 2 years ago, is set to become a classic amongst avid book readers, complete with the narration by Ric Herbert who did not miss a beat when bringing each of the characters in To Become A Whale to life.
5/5 stars
A Rear Gem
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A fantastic read.
Wholesome Australian literature
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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.