Not quite a perfect book and not quite what I expected, but interesting, very clearly well-written, and moving nonetheless. I, like other readers, expected to learn more about the ecology and biology of the eel. After finishing the book, I think the point is that we actually know very little about the eel, even as people as far back as Aristotle have dedicated countless hours to unraveling the mystery around this elusive fish.

I thought the author's connection between the eel and memories of his father had the most staying power. I appreciate a well-written memoir, and I think you can count this as one.

Note that the author's father is not the type of man to flinch from animal death when it serves a purpose (alleviation from suffering/to provide food), and there are graphic descriptions of killing and skinning eels and less graphic descriptions of older cats being put down off screen.

This book had a lot of interesting things to it, and it also had its challenges, making it a difficult one to review. I liked the memoir aspect as well as the science, but I didn't always see a link between the two (this isn't a problem, it's just the author was pushing too hard for the connection sometimes). The memoir portions felt like crisp bits of summer childhood, I think they could've been their own book. The eel portions were sometimes less critical of the information they were giving than I would've liked.

I didn't feel the author's anguish about the fate of the eels disappearing, or the fact that humans are the cause of their extinction. The tone was pretty matter of fact, which I found quite irritating.

I did learn a lot about eels though, and I was pointed towards several other interesting sources. 

Equal parts memoir, historical account, and scientific essay, The Book of Eels is insightful and profound, fully capturing the elusiveness and mystique of the eel.  Fair warning -- the undercurrent of the book is the author describing his close relationship with his father, which may turn off some readers. However, at this book's core is the author's sheer fascination and admiration for a creature that is as central to our understanding of entire cultures and the human condition, as it is mysterious. 

Ugh what an ending. Learned lots of eel facts!

Author lost their dad to cancer at the end of the book.

Not an ideal read for me right now.