Journey to the End of the Whale
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | John David Morley |
| Products | Book |
Journey to the End of the Whale (2005) is a novel authored by John David Morley.
Summary
Following a midlife crisis, Daniel Serraz, a Swiss orphan working as an insurance agent and an enthusiastic marine biologist in his spare time, sets out on a life-changing expedition to the secluded Indonesian island of Lefó. During his stay, he discovers his personal heritage while interacting with local inhabitants who continue the age-old practice of hunting whales by hand-harpooning from teak vessels—a rare cultural tradition intimately connected to whaling.
Reception
In The Observer, novelist and critic Adam Mars-Jones commended the work as “a tribute to the grandeur, intricacy, and distinctiveness of the world’s whales; and a lament for a lifestyle reliant on their hunting.” Matthew Alexander, writing for The Sunday Telegraph, emphasized Morley’s profound spiritual and thematic delving into whale mythology, island customs, and the intimate bond between humans and whales through acoustic telepathy, culminating in Daniel’s significant inner transformation.
Broadcaster Melvyn Bragg described it as "an exceptional and inventive piece of fiction" deserving wider acclaim, naming it among his 'Books of the year' in The Observer. Joe Holden from The Observer magazine remarked: “Few authors have ever invested so much passion into their writing as John David Morley.”
The novel was shortlisted for the 2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize in the Eurasia category.
In translation
In 2007, the book was released in Spanish under the title Viaje al fin de las Ballenas, translated by Mercedes Fernández Cuesta and Mario Grande.
External links
- ‘Briny Points’, John Spurling, The Times (November 20, 2005)
- ‘A little like a whale’, Karl Miller, The Times Literary Supplement (January 6, 2006)