When I started this book, it felt as if I was being dragged along (in a nice way) trying to keep up with the speed of the story and thought "wow, how on earth is it going to keep this up?". No worries there because, 20% of the way through, it was as if the story had run into a brick wall. Suddenly, it is the middle of the 5th Century BCE and I am wondering if, somehow, two books have been conflated. Alas no and the storyline kept moving between timelines for the rest of the book. Whilst the book kept me engaged to the last page, it did not quite cut it for me; hence a scant 3 stars.

A fascinating tale woven from modern life and Greek myths, this was a really interesting story covering all of humanity within its pages

In a world where books seem to leap onto the bandwagon of whatever trend is popular at the moment, Haddon is an author to cherish. From the ground-breaking Curious Incident, to the hilarious Spot of Bother then this lyric tale of a young girl trapped with an obsessive father as she imagines her hero in the tales of her books, everything he writes is different. The plot jumps about and can be difficult to follow in parts but this is a beautifully written novel to savour slowly. Not an easy, or pleasant read in parts, but well worth the effort.

The Porpoise explores the complexities of a young girl’s tormented mind through her love of literature. Having escaped not a plane crash which killed her mother, Marina is brought up by an over-protective father who, whilst indulging her every whim, cannot bear to allow her to be a part of a society outside of the suffocating world in which she is cocooned. With the realisation of her father’s transgressions, Marina seeks the sanctuary of escape.