"A riveting story, both powerful and poignant in its telling. Merlino’s immense talent shines on every page."
Howard Roughan
New York Times Bestselling Author
The Promise of A Lie
Linda Merlino's Whale of a Novel
Reviewed By Joann DiFabio-Identity Magazine
Author Linda Merlino has done it in her first published novel, Belly Of The Whale. She has blended the exact amount of drama with a dash of suspense, threw it all in the oven and out came a Lifetime movie. You know the recipe well because you know how easy it is to get sucked in: the drama centers around a woman and the personal struggle she is going through, something traumatic happens, there’s a climax, and then, usually, a happy ending. It’s a winning combination that draws you in to the end every time.
Sure, Merlino penned a dramatic, climatic novel worthy of a made-for-TV movie, but what makes Belly Of The Whale stand out is the detail and depth Merlino devotes to the most unlikely and wildly diverse characters.
Hudson Catalina Emerald has been battling breast cancer. After losing both breasts, she decides she is physically and mentally exhausted from treatment and chooses to give up her struggle to survive. On a trip to a local market during a terrible snowstorm, Hudson interacts with the warm-hearted market owner, Ruby Desmond, and Willy Wu, the seemingly daft cart boy with a surprisingly big and heroic heart. Things really start to stir up when the socially derailed Buddy Baker shows up carrying murder on his shoulders.
Merlino gets down to the guts of a fierce battle with cancer right off the bat. She almost makes the reader understand why Hudson has given up on trying to survive and agree with her decision to allow cancer to claim her life. Merlino also offers plenty of detail about Hudson’s childhood: her mother died of breast cancer, she and her brother were sent to New England to live with their grandparents and work in the bistro they owned. But there is not much satisfaction found in this detail aside from the pretty picture it paints of summers in New England.
Ruby Desmond, the owner of Whales Market, opens up to Hudson about her past and the tragedies that struck her life. What is interesting about Ruby is her optimism, her faith (religiously speaking), and her devotion to the market and those she loves, specifically Willy Wu. Ruby’s heart is kind, her will is strong, and she sets the wheel in motion for Hudson’s evolution. Their run-in with Buddy Baker lights the fuse for the explosive ending to the ordeal the three go through.
This debut novel by Linda Merlino is smartly crafted with the perfect combination of sympathy, suspense, and sentiment. Merlino demonstrates her ability as a writer through the appropriate depth and diversity of her characters and delivers an easy and entertaining read. I’d be very interested in reading the next novel she cooks up.
Belly of the Whale Trailer - Created by Kunati Publishers
Belly of the Whale on YouTube
