Fluke--Book Review

We hope you will find at least a book or two to read from these selections.

Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings (Today Show Book Club #25). Christopher Moore. William Morrow, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. New York, New York. 2003.

Book review by Joel
I think I am becoming one of Christopher’s bigger fans. He is able to create unique and clear environments and characters that grow on you as you root for them. This novel is set in Hawaii, which is where the author lives. This story also has an agenda. It is a save the whales story. Sort of.

It also has a biblical tie in, the story of Jonah and the whale, in a weird way.

This is the story of Nathan Quinn, and his research staff, who are struggling to find out why humpback whales sing. When recording the whale song one day with assistant Amy, he sees the words “BITE ME” in big letters on the whale’s fluke, or tail. He thinks he is going crazy because no one else sees anything. Then funny things start to happen, his film of the whale is missing, his lab gets trashed, their research vessel gets sunk. Whale research is highly competitive and there are plenty of suspects to keep you guessing… but this book goes in a surprising direction. And this is why I am a fan.

I don’t want to spoil it for you, you’ll just have to get a copy and read it for yourself. This book was a Today Show Book Club book.

Joel.

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Do you like this book review? Joel has written for Book Reader's Traverse since its conception in 2004. He often finds his books in unusual places, including hometown shops where he visits, and even dumpsters at times. See his comical bio and picks--Joel's Picks.

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