A time shift tale set Before and After some kind of apocalypse. A gripping tale of survival and relationships when facing the end of humanity. . Engaging writing style that kept me turning the pages. Thought-provoking, tender and original. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this novel. This is my unbiased opinion of the book.

I requested a copy of this novel based on the description, even though I wasn't sure about wanting to read it. In fact, I put off reading it for a while, until I couldn't avoid it any more. I was so glad that I did.

The title refers to both the whale and the main protagonist Ruth, both stranded on a beach in New Zealand, Ruth desperately trying to save the whale's life. Ruth has been enamoured of whales all her life, and is in New Zealand to work with them, having fled her life in London, where she has left behind a failed relationship and all her friends and family.

She meets Nik on the beach, and they both take shelter in the dead whale's mouth after what appears to be an apocalypse. There is not much detail about what caused it, or why it has happened...we are left with the aftermath, everything covered in a fine grey ash. Nik and Ruth are thrown together and build a shelter out of the whale's bones. Ruth initially dislikes Nik, but the circumstances which have thrown them together sees them build a life and an enduring relationship. Their life revolves around the home they build on the beach and their immediate surroundings, which creates a feeling of intimacy as they deal with their survival.

Ruth's life 'before' seemed to be bogged down by many different things, but in the 'after', although survival is challenging and sometimes harsh, if feels as though she has gained more than she has lost.
Although the end of the world is a horrible subject, the tone of this novel for me was gentle and hopeful. I liked Ruth more and more as the story developed, and was drawn into her life. The writing is just perfect, like Goldilocks and the three bears...not too sparse, not too overblown, but just right.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a pre-published copy in return for an honest review.

The Stranding is a really gripping, immersive and cleverly written story with realistic multi-dimensional characters. I really enjoyed it and read most of it over one day! I loved how the 'before' and 'after' timelines are interwoven seamlessly throughout the book.

‘Her world fell to pieces - From the bones she built up a new life’

The Stranding has two timelines: Before and After.

After – We follow Ruth, who has miraculously survived a catastrophic global event having sheltered in the mouth of a beached whale.

Before – Ruth moves from relationship to relationship, living her life in what seems to be a fairly negative repeating pattern. There are glimpses of an impending doom that Ruth largely tries to ignore.

I enjoyed this book, although I did feel that it really came in to its own in the second half, by then I couldn’t put it down. I loved the character development of Ruth; to begin with I didn’t really agree with some of her choices, but by the end I really did like her.
While this book is partly an apocalyptic tale, I don’t really think that’s what this book is about; we never really find out what causes the destruction, it’s not gruesome or gory, it feels more of a gentle read about the cycle of life, personal growth, true love, hope and survival in a world gone horribly wrong.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley, @mskatesawyer, @coronetbooks and @hodderstoughton for allowing me to read a copy of this book for an honest review.

Interesting premise, confusing timeline. I requested this book because of its arresting description however the before and after chapters were misleading and the characters were two dimensional. This debut is a daring novel but unlike most of thevnetgalley reviewers I couldn't warm to the protagonist or the storyline. I gave up a flyer reading 18%.

*3.5 stars *

The demise of a whale in the opening chapter of The Stranding, was really sad, but this beautiful creature is about to become Ruth, (and recently befriended Nik’s salvation), because the disaster that is heading humanity’s way is truly devastating!

The story of Ruth and Nik’s attempts at survival, in a bleak apocalyptic world, is both moving, and hopeful. We’re slowly given the backstory of Before and After, and what appears to be the annihilation of mankind. Are Ruth and Nik the only survivors?

Intelligently written, The Stranding is a scary, yet optimistic tale, of how the human spirit can adapt and survive against all the odds.

I am absolutely haunted by this book.
Set across two timelines of one main character told concurrently, I spent all,the time reading one version/ timeline and desperately wanting to know more about the other version of Ruth’s life, then vice Versa. Ruth’s fantastic parents and loving friend Frances. Her intriguing and inspiring life after the event which changed everything, Both were utterly compelling.
Ruth’s life in ‘The Before’ seems so mundane and so true of many ordinary lives, yet the changes she undergoes, the skills she masters, the depth of her feelings, worries and love, loneliness and a deep sense of self in ‘The After’ show her to be an even more fascinating and full person. The life she lead, and the person she becomes is inspiring, how she moved from being controlled to living a free and alternative life in ‘The After’.
To say more would be to add spoilers, and this is a book to be read, savoured, to fully immerse yourself in, to vicariously live Ruth’s amazing rich life.
I will be highly recommending this to everyone.
Thanks to @NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review
#NetGalley

I enjoyed the two timelines of this book, which told us the story of before and after the change our world had undergone. It is a book to be savoured and is full of hope and optimism.

The concept for this book is so bizarre that I went into it quite sceptical. I couldn't wrap my mind around how the story would work, especially in terms of the whale. However, this story was unexpectedly charming, and gripping. The writing was just beautiful, spinning this tale with heaps of imagery and a constant sense of motion.
The first couple of chapters were a bit of a challenge to get used to, but I found that once I got through those, the rest of the book was easy to follow and a super quick read.

Told in two timelines that meet in the middle, The Stranding is the story of one woman and her life before and after a global disaster.

Ruth is a complelling and relatable protagonist. Before the earth altering events or the book she's wandering through life rather aimlessly, with no clear directions on what or who she wants to be. She's similar to so many people, and could be anyone we know. Her qualms are just like everyone else's, her love life is in tatters and she worries that she's stuck in a dead end job? Pretty average stuff. In this 'before' life we also see hints of the impending disaster, carefully placed news broadcasts or gossip that we as the reader know is forshadowing, but which Ruth is blissfully unaware of. It's this juxtaposition between the before and after that really highlights what Ruth's life was before - pretty meaningless.

I wasn't overly keen on this flipping backwards and forwards through the timeline. Personally, I prefer a linear approach to storytelling, however I do think that the device was used to great affect here to just highlight how different Ruth's life has become in the 'after' and how she's adapted to this new world. The writing is also very well done, and incredibly engaging. I grew very attached to Ruth very quickly. However, the story is very heavily weighted towards building up the 'before' world and characters and as such the 'after' felt a bit lacking in depth overall. I also didn't really enjoy the open ending. I wanted some kind of closure that I never got, although I'm sure this was intentional and more to do with my own personal tastes than that of the author.

Interesting premise and told in a unique format, this dystopian will appeal to those wnating a more personal look at the apocalypse and how any everyday (wo)man could survive living inside a whale.

An outstanding debut novel. Not like any other dystopian novel I have read. The Stranding is dreamlike and pulls the reader in.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Post apocalyptic type books would never be top of my to-read list as standard but I absolutely loved this book. The timelines split between the 'before' and the 'now', and are sewn seamlessly together by the end. The story is about humanity, resilience and survival and was both captivating and unsettling (particularly the "I'm sorry for your loss" line- goosebumps!). One note- I wanted/hoped for so much more of the ending. Where it is lightly covered, I was eager for a more in depth explanation, but it was cleverly brushed over. I'd definitely read a sequel to this book, but equally feel like it's perfect as a stand alone.

I enjoyed this book more than i thought i would when starting it and i did not expect most of the events in this book but i can't picture it another way. I would reread this and enjoy it more. Though initially the time swaps were confusing initially.

Without giving out any spoilers you will need to suspend your disbelief and just appreciate and enjoy the story for what it is, even the characters themselves cannot believe what happens to them and how they survive seemingly unscathed.
In the end it is a well written voyage of discovery in the face of an apparent apocalypse.
I found it a bit light in details at times, there are several scenes I would have appreciated more description to fully immerse myself in the characters predicaments.
Also the story kept leaping forward by several years at a time, especially in the last quarter of the book. I felt it was rushing to get to its conclusion.
Overall I enjoyed the book and it was an easy read, remaining interesting throughout but I was left feeling that it lacked something.

This is an impressive debut novel.
I found the structure clever and original. There are two time-lines - the second one is in the past, and when you reach the end of the book this second time-line ends where the first timeline started at the beginning, if that makes sense. Almost like a circle, so very pleasing form-wise. I really liked this aspect.
There's some lovely writing, but I didn’t feel the need to rush it; there’s no urgency. I would probably describe it as a beautiful slow burner. It’s more about life observations and feelings than action and adventure.
I am interested to see what this author writes next.

I was lucky enough to receive this on Netgalley. Thank you.

Simply unlike anything else I’ve read - in the best possible way!

A book to devour in a single sitting, I was alternately enthralled by Ruth’s determination to survive and even thrive in the strange new world she finds herself in and a sense of foreboding as the events that led up to that new life creep ever nearer. Never morose, despite the post-apocalyptic backdrop to much of the story, the principal thread running through it focuses so strongly on the strength of the human spirit, especially the female spirit, so much so I was left with a strong sense of hope when I finished reading, along with wondering what on earth to read next that could possibly live up to this!

This is well-written & a fairly pacy read, I'm sure lots of people will enjoy the relationships and find the characters relatable. It just wasn't for me.
The book alternates between the Before and the After. In the Before, which spans about a year before the destruction of civilisation, we follow Ruth as her affair with a married man becomes more serious and she continuously avoids the news which gives hints that trouble is brewing. The After covers a longer period, starting with the slowly coming to terms with the situation and then skipping further ahead in greater increments.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this - perhaps something like Station Eleven or a bit of speculative, or literary fic weirdness what with the whole 'climbing into the mouth of a whale and emerging into a new world' thing. This happens very near the beginning and is exactly what happens. The main character, along with a stranger she's just met, hide inside a recently deceased, beached whale as the blast from a nuclear (although this is never confirmed) explosion sweeps across towards them. Turns out whales are tough and they are the only things to survive for miles around.
The tighter focus on the Before means it felt more alive and Ruth's friends & family more developed whereas the After felt less developed in terms of characters. This made the book feel more weighted to the Before section and, unfortunately, I'm just not that interested in how many glasses of wine Ruth drinks or how many times she has sex - was there a chapter in that section where neither of those things happen? Ruth's struggle to find and understand what she really wants out of life makes her relatable but the rest of her life didn't feel relatable or likeable to me.
The After didn't feel as real or fleshed out- I felt like the characters developed in the gaps between the time skips rather than getting to see them developing.
I was left feeling quite depressed and anxious on finishing this when I think it was supposed to feel slightly hopeful - perhaps that's another reason I didn't enjoy this so much.

A moving end of the world style book. Made me think of Station 11 and will definitely stay with me.
Worth a read and don’t be out of by the first few jarring pages.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a little bit dystopian and spanned the lives of two people stranded on an island, a seemingly Adam and Eve type story.

Fabulous!

the stranding - kate sawyer

there’s something so comforting about reading end of the world books and this is one of the best i’ve read

set on a beach in new zealand it follows two strangers, ruth and nik, after they survive a nuclear blast and have to find their way in this new world. it flashes back to the protagonist’s life before, her family, her boyfriend, and the reasons that lead her to boarding a plane and flying across the world

one of the things i loved most was the way time passes, never at the pace you expect. it takes you through such a peaceful, hopeful, resourceful way of life, though you’re aware you’re never far from danger, this being a nuclear apocalypse and everything

i really loved the characters and the ones i hated i even loved the language around them, the way your perspective changes as ruth’s does. i loved the friendships, the families, the community

i’m tipping into that stage when you love a book so much you become gushy and useless in your review and all you can say to everyone is please love yourself and read it

it gives me all the same feelings station eleven did, which is huge for me, but it turns out peace at the end of the world is exactly what i need