And the Ocean Was Our Sky ~ Patrick Ness
This has been on my TBR list since it came out last year and I knew a copy of it would end up on my shelf, but all my Patrick Ness books are paperbacks and I was determined not to break the chain. So, I had to wait for it to come out in paperback before I read it. It still sat on my shelf for longer than I had hoped.
I will be completely honest and say that I only wanted to read this book because it was written by Patrick Ness and I think he has an honestly beautiful way of telling a story. And the Ocean Was Our Sky was no different. Paired with the haunting illustrations that help to tell the story, sometimes in lieu of words, Ness’ words spin a tale that is completely new.
And the Ocean Was Our Sky is a twist on the story of Moby Dick. It tells the story from the whales’ point of view. Bathsheba is a part of a hunting pod that attacks and hunts ships. Then, they find the trail of the devil himself, Toby Wick, and begin their final, vengeful chase that changes everything.
What I loved about this book was that it challenged you to think in two different ways. The fun way is that in this novel up is down and down is up. To the whales, the sky is at down and the bottom of the ocean is up. It’s a little hard to wrap your head around, I found myself having to correct my thinking each time they mentioned a direction. The other, much more serious way is that it challenges thoughts about war and why it’s fought. Bathsheba and the other whales of her pod talk about whether the war against man is prophecy or something other. It was a thought-provoking novel.
Admittedly, I was a little dubious about how Patrick Ness was going to make an interesting story with a whale protagonist but I really enjoyed it and read it quicker than I have read anything recently. I only put it down because I had to (I almost my stop on the train).
Whilst this isn’t my favourite Patrick Ness novel, I really enjoyed it. The illustrations were haunting and I honestly don’t think the story would have worked without them. Overall, I give this book four out of five stars and I cannot wait for Patrick Ness’ next novel.
C🌙
