Pod by Laline Paull ...is alot 

clam bukkake was the only appropriate phrase to describe what was going on. I'm just grateful Laline Paull stayed away from an episode involving an octopus because there is already enough tentacle porn out in the world.

@@ThePoptimist 🐙 🐙 😳😳😳

LOL - Laline has definitely found her lane and I've only heard good things about The Bees (which I think was nominated for the prize when it came out too - so she clearly resonates with folks!) Pod was just too much for me!

Ditto. So funny! Thanks for the warning, although, as Jenn G says, your review makes me pretty curious to check out the book, AND I loved The Bees, too! The Bees is quite a bit less sex-obsessed than Pod seems to be; after all, there are strict rules against non-Queen bees having sex. Thanks for the delightfully squeamy review. :)

Good to know - was just imagining Paull writing in "squeamy" detail about the bees pollinating flowers and who needs that taking up real estate in your brain.

Yeah, might be a safe bet to pass on this one...

You are too kind - was fun to talk about!

That is the perfect way to describe this - it was an underwater fever dream! Truly

I'm glad you enjoyed the review. Honestly, I did have fun dissecting it even as it was an easy target.

Thank you! (with apologies to your breakfast)

The Taiji cove dolphin hunt was also there (and that was a rabbit hole!) I really did feel like it wrapped up way too quickly and the new pack alpha, come on. The trans fish felt like it should have just been it's own short story and not wedged in here - but then I wouldn't have been able to offer up clam bukkake in a book review so there's that.

we had fun pulling it apart and Paull can take the hits - was a blast to talk about!

I didn't think I'd find rapey dolphins in a shortlisted book myself!

Oh man I apologize for resurfacing that memory-holed dolphin tidbit ...which is now living inside of my head, so I guess we're even now.

Salty ocean😂

I'm glad you enjoyed! It was fun to talk about this one

Do it! Tell me I'm wrong, tell me that I've completely misread this shortlisted literary wonder!

a couple folks on the Discord felt the same way almost immediately - it was a bit of morbid curiosity on my part.

Never saw an episode of Flipper but old enough to remember it being part of the cultural consciousness. Flipper is definitely a big part of the reason dolphins are seen as friendly (non-rapey) underwater mammals.

The reading has been pretty erratic this year, just short infrequent bursts - genre novellas might actually be a better way for me too!

I get it, nonconsensual mating is common in dolphin species and it is touched on lightly on the page, but it happens a couple times throughout the book and I guess I just wasn't ready for that. Even beyond that though I found it disjointed and way to conveniently wrapped up.

Thanks for that - I've been told it's a different take for Bees but I just think it will be awhile before I'm ready for that sort of ride again!

You're in good company though! Shortlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction - shortlisted! ...which did make me feel less guilty about dragging it so much. I'm glad you could still enjoy the review even as it was so different than your experience reading the book!

It's so expensive but is the perfect companion to a fine gin. I feel almost guilty about how easy but delicious a proper gin & tonic cocktail is.

@@ThePoptimist I haven't tried gin yet, but it's nice to know I've identified a great tonic to go with it. Someone recommended Hendricks. Thoughts? Do I need another spirits rabbit hole (or budget black hole)?

Don't know enough yet on the gin side of things to make too many recommendations - the Sevilla was the one recommended to be by our local bourbon/scotch bar as the one I could actually get locally and the Weavers dry gin to look for when I travelled.

Paull is writing about the wrasse which are protogynous hermaphrodites - which means they can switch gender - did not know that fish was used as a slur in some communities though!

It’s not fish that’s a slur but transvestite (when used to refer to a trans person)

@@ThePoptimist trans if the person/entity is a different gender than assigned at birth. Transvestite if they recreationally, habitually dress to deliberately play with gender roles, without necessarily identifying with a different assigned gender. And even then, transvestite only if that's a word they personally enjoy using. A person can of course be both, but transvestite is considered a slur when used about people who are not, and who don't encourage others to use it about themselves. I don't know how Paull wrote these characters, since they appear heavily anthropomorphized. I'd err on the side of just "trans" though

ah, thank you for the clarification!

LOL - it's definitely not for everyone!

I think she'd been shortlisted before with The Bees (folks seem to have liked that one better) but even without the rape this still felt all over the place, far too conveniently wrapped up, and a weird mix of pulled from facts and completely made up. Just wild

@@ThePoptimist I quite liked The Bees.

100%

as a literary genre, rapey dolphins has few advocates. Trying to squeeze out as much of the summer as I can - hope you're doing the same!

So much and so not ready