Once in a rare while, I read a book and think that even an experienced writer could learn from it. “Whale Season” is such a book, a murder story yet highly literary, full of twists and turns, myriad characters all well-drawn, and a storyline that pulsates with excitement. Added to all this, the author’s very unique voice and fun-loving style make “Whale Season” a successful novel highlighted with sarcasm and satire.
Satire because the setting is in Florida where I live; therefore, I can chuckle at the playful handling of the setting and the characters. The author writes as if she is delivering stand-up comedy, but her words are sharp and serious with a lot of truth in them. It is impossible for a reader not to care about the characters, the setting, or the tiny details like that of a panther family promenading on a deserted beach. Each character, even a villain, is very human, and the writer plays masterfully with their quirks, scars, longings, and dreams.
Whale Harbor resembles a lot of towns in Florida in the sense that the locals are desperate to lure the tourists. Inside it is the Pink, a strippers’ paradise club where the mayor Bender is also the bartender. Bender believes people have to recognize their inner dog and bark accordingly, succeeding to pull some people into barking. Most of the characters in the club are somber, wounded people finding wacky solutions to their problems.
Far from being somber, the story is entertaining with numerous off-the-wall characters like the RV sales locale owner Leon. In the beginning of the story, on a Christmas night, Jesus–a.k.a the Cuban doctor Ricardo Garcia who is not really Cuban–talks Leon into a game of poker. Jesus has parked his RV, the Fleetwood American Dream worth 250,000 dollars, in Leon’s lot to surrender it to Leon by purposely losing the poker bet. He has acquired it when he killed its elderly owners.
Jesus is a demented serial killer, killing in order to save souls, but only a few people catch on to him until later. The one who finds out about it first is Sheriff Trot Jeeter, Leon’s best friend. Trot likes Leon’s girlfriend Carlotta but also has a past with Dagmar, the owner of the Pink and Leon’s ex-wife.
Jesus has his heart set on killing or rather saving the soul of Jimmy Ray, a Buddhist blues musician at the Pink and also Dagmar’s biological father who underplays his paternity. After many unexpected twists and turns, the story comes together effectively at the end.
I cannot rave enough about the author’s delightful yet fearless way of storytelling that bonds fantasy to reality. Her style and voice are distinct, metaphoric, and high-spirited. Still, the book is very easy to read. Since a possible movie for Whale Season is in the works, one hopes that the movie industry remains loyal to the spirit of the book.
The author, N.M. Kelby is a Floridian who lives in Sarasota. She has worked as a print and television journalist for more than twenty years. Her other books are In the Company of Angels and Theatre of the Stars.
Whale Season is in 304 pages in hardcover with ISBN-10: 0307336778 and ISBN-13: 978-0307336774.
This is a delightful book that is full of life, and I can’t wait for this writer’s next story.
Whale Season - Book Review
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