A prize-winning author's memoir about a mother and son following the migration of grey whales to Alaska

'Justifies its place alongside nature writing classics such as H is for Hawk' New Statesman


Doreen first visited Utqiagvik as a young journalist reporting on climate change among indigenous whaling communities. There, she joined the spring whale hunt under the never-ending Arctic light, watching for bowhead whales and polar bears, drawn deeply into an Iñupiaq family and their culture amid the disappearing ice.


'Years later, plunged into sudden poverty and isolation after becoming a single parent, her career and life in tatters, Doreen embarks on an extraordinary journey: following the grey whale migration all the way back to the Iñupiaq family that took her in, where grey and bowhead whales meet at the melting apex of our planet


'What a voice! What a book!' Charles Foster


'Soundings got under my skin. I finished it in tears' Amy Liptrot


'Stunning - fresh, brave and unique' Damian le Bas


'Beautifully written, insightful and gripping' Daniel Lavelle

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE


WINNER OF THE RSL GILES ST AUBYN AWARD