A deep dive into the lives of Britain’s grey seals, who have captivated Susan since her childhood
A lyrical mix of natural history and travel, science and shamanism, memoir and myth
The grey seal is globally rare but the British Isles host almost half of the world population. In Where the Seals Sing, her debut work of creative non-fiction, Susan traces the rhythms of seals’ lives, journeying clockwise round the coast in line with the autumn pupping season.
On foot and by boat, she discovers locations both inspiring and surprising, visits the howling heart of a breeding colony and delves beneath the skin of shapeshifting selkie tales. She engages, too, with the many dangers that seals face, from marine debris to toxic pollution.
‘How may we more sensitively co-exist with this charismatic mammal who has swum for so many centuries through our cultural and spiritual lives?’
While loss, both personal and ecological, is a recurring theme of Where the Seals Sing, Susan’s meetings with seals lead to deep and uplifting connection.
Where the Seals Sing is published by William Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins UK.
Reviews
-
The exploration is spirited and varied…honest and tender…'Where the Seals Sing' asks questions of the ethics of care in its manifold dynamics, which flow from human to animal to parent to public and back again.
– Caught by the River
-
This is an astonishing and beautiful book…authentic and compelling.
– Amazon five-star review
-
A beautifully interwoven narrative, full of insight and a gentle humour that guides the reader through difficult issues of human interference in the grey seal world… A brave and wonderful read.
– Amazon five-star review
-
Written with the glorious combination of detailed research, lyrical prose, intrepid travelling, climate activism and loving humanity, this is a deeply satisfying read.
– Amazon five-star review
-
Elegant, lyrical, and vividly descriptive…This is a story of loss and discovery, of rescue and rehabilitation, hope and despair, of being seal and being human.
– Amazon five-star review
-
This book is an astonishing feat of arresting prose and thought-provoking ideas…an accomplished and fascinating thing of beauty. It’s far and away the best of its kind for me.
– Amazon five-star review
