Not Forgetting The Whale - Softcover

John Ironmonger

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0297608215 ISBN 13: 9780297608219

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2015

Synopsis

When a young man washes up, naked, on the sands of St Piran in Cornwall, he is quickly rescued by the villagers. From the retired village doctor and the schoolteacher, to the beachcomber and the owner of the local bar, the priest's wife and the romantic novelist, they take this lost soul into their midst. But what the villagers don't know is that Joe Haak has fled the City of London fearing a worldwide collapse of civilisation, a collapse forecast by Cassie, a computer program he designed. But is the end of the world really nigh? Can Joe convince the village to seal itself off from the outside world? And what of the whale that lurks in the bay? Intimate, funny and deeply moving, Not Forgetting the Whale is the story of a man on a journey to find a place he can call home.

About this title

About the Author

John Ironmonger was born and grew up in East Africa. He has a doctorate in zoology, and was once an expert on freshwater leeches. He is the author of THE GOOD ZOO GUIDE and the novels THE NOTABLE BRAIN OF MAXIMILIAN PONDER, which was shortlisted for the 2012 Costa First Novel Prize and the GUARDIAN's NOT THE BOOKER PRIZE, and THE COINCIDENCE AUTHORITY. He was part of a world record team for speed reading Shakespeare and once drove across the Sahara in a GBP100 banger. He lives in rural Shropshire with his wife Sue and has two grown-up children. Follow him on Twitter @jwironmonger or visit his website http://notablebrain.blogspot.co.uk.

Review

a warm-hearted book crammed with interesting ideas. It's a book full of doomsday predictions with a Cityboy in a starring role that makes the world seem like a more hopeful place. It's also very, very good. EMERALD STREET This is a tremendously enjoyable book. And as the front pages crowd with headlines that grow ever more grim, Not Forgetting the Whale offers a very welcome alternative. -- Marianne Levy INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY An intriguing and thought-provoking story CANDIS An exciting and moving read ESSENTIALS The lives of the residents in sleepy St Piran is changed when a man washes up, half drowned, on the shore of the Cornish seaside village. THE TIMES It's easy to see this simply as a modern interpretation of the story of Jonah and the whale, but this charming tale by John Ironmonger. is considerably more complex. it's a love story of sorts and, above all, it's about hte innate goodness of people and our connections with the wider world PRESS ASSOCIATION A gentle and uplifting tale of warding off apocalypse in a remote corner of Cornwall ... charming FINANCIAL TIMES This book achieves what should be impossible: a heart-warming dystopia. Forget everything you know about apocalypses. This novel, set in Cornwall, will restore your faith in humanity. ELLE UK

About this edition

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0297608215
• ISBN 13: 9780297608219
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384