Format: Audio 

I really wasn’t sure what to expect going into this – it was a bit of a wild card for the vote for April’s work book club – but I actually really enjoyed it. 

Marcellus was by far the best bit of this book – I’d read a full book from his perspective – and it’s a shame actually that his sections were comparatively quite short compared to Tova and Cameron’s. I ended up listening to the audio after struggling to start the print book, and really liked that Marcellus’ perspective had a different narrator. This worked incredibly well. 

I did find the aquarium setting a bit difficult. I don’t want to give spoilers away so I won’t comment further beyond stating the ending pleased me (to a degree), and I was on the verge of tears while listening. I do think I felt the most for Marcellus as a character and his storyline was both so difficult, but also heartwarming. 

I liked Tova generally but Cameron was frustrating. Did we have to keep repeating that he didn’t look 30 to justify the fact that he regularly acted like a child throwing a tantrum? And yet, there were moments when he seemed really mature and I was impressed by him. The contradictions were difficult to swallow. Despite this frustration, I do think the growth of all the characters was done really well – you genuinely could see a difference in them from the start of the book to the end. 

There were maybe a few plot points that could have been fleshed out a bit more as well but overall, this was an enjoyable read and I had a good time with it.