Meet Rachel Delahaye
‘Day of the Whale’ is one of the best books that I have read. Thought-provoking, challenging, full of evocative descriptions and engaging characters, it is one which I will be recommending and sharing constantly! Being able to ask author, Rachel Delahaye, some questions was a fantastic opportunity and I am delighted to be able to share these today!
1. Cam's curiosity and determination to ask questions in the face of danger leads him to uncover some frightening truths. Did you write the story with the idea that it might encourage readers to challenge what they are told and to ask questions of their own?
No and yes. I didn’t set out to make any point when I began writing this story – I decided to launch into the world-building of Cetacea and see where it took me. It first took me to Utopia and then took me to a flipside – a place where I imagined how a small, isolated population, eager for preservation, could easily be manipulated by someone with a more sinister purpose. As soon as this dark side of paradise began unfolding, I begged my brainwashed characters to dig deeper. I realised very quickly that this wasn’t going to be adventure for adventure’s sake – and that, yes, I wanted my readers to find the truth, alongside Cam and his friends. In my opinion, there’s only one way to do that, and that’s to ask questions and to challenge the slogans we’re told explain everything. I hope the story shows that curiosity isn’t annoying, knowledge isn’t something to be suspicious of, and critical thinking is the key to finding truth; being told what we want to hear isn’t always kindness, it can be manipulation; what’s popular isn’t always what’s right. If a single reader comes away with the desire to ask more questions because of it, then I’ll be a very happy author. That was a bit long-winded, I’m sorry!
2. Cetacea is located where Australia used to be and your descriptions of the landscape are wonderful. Why did you choose this part of the world as the setting for 'Day of the Whale'?
I was born in Australia and although I haven’t spent much of my life there (I moved to the UK when I was six, and then lived there for a few years in my 20s) it’s the kind of place that leaves a mark. Behind the glossy cities, there’s an ancient country with wild and diverse landscapes, rainbow colours, and skies that either yawn with endless blue or bubble with turbulent storms. It’s dramatic and captivating. During lockdown, I found myself missing it, and itching to write about the landscape and play around in its palette. I’m a huge fan of Australian author, Tim Winton, and I guess I was trying to emulate his style in a way – his descriptions of Australia are super sensory, wild and full of contrasts. Australia is not just a place, it’s a character. In addition to that, I wanted to introduce readers to the incredible wildlife and use that zoo-like environment of a small island to bring them all together, desert and jungle creatures side by side. There may be animals that readers haven’t even heard of – animals that might not be here much longer. What better way to show what’s a stake if we don’t look after our world?
3. Banjo feels a deep connection to his First Nation's heritage. What research/ advice did you seek to help you form his explanations/ ideas?
I’m really glad you asked me this. To write a story about Australia and the importance of the past without including First Nations peoples to me would have been outrageous. As a white, far-flung Australian, I naturally felt unsure about how to write it, but Banjo came bounding into my head and led the way. Despite his light skin and fair hair, he is a descendent of the Darkinjung people of the Central Coast in NSW Australia – it’s an area I’m familiar with, and the Darkinjung are also known as the Whale Dreaming people, which of course is an absolutely perfect fit. It’s not explained exactly how Banjo is a ‘descendant’ – only that he is aware of his heritage because his parents broke the Cetacea law of not speaking about the past and whispered Dreamtime stories to him in his bed. Although better than most, his understanding of his ancestry is childlike, which provided a forgiving platform for my own very basic knowledge. Of course, in preparation, I read books, but no amount of reading could qualify me as an educator or any kind of authority – for a start, there are over Australian 800 First Nations dialects. But it did convince me that what I was doing was right. That aspect of my story is not my ‘voice’, but I recognise it as being very important – and I would be delighted if readers were inspired to discover more about First Nations history, art, cultures, because of it. What I did talk about, I knew needed to be right, so when I wrote Banjo’s explanation of what white man named The Dreamtime, I got in touch with Gavi Duncan, an Aboriginal Darkinjung Elder. Through back-and-forth emails, I got the child-friendly definition of the Dreamtime as close to correct as I could, with his approval. He also told me the Dreamtime story of Toorongong the Whale. With that in hand, it felt like I had all the threads to weave a beautiful, meaningful tale. This September, I'm going to Australia to meet with him.
4. There are strong environmental themes running through the story, but although whales are part of this, they are not what the story is actually about. To me, they are more a symbol of all that has been lost as Cam's people have been deceived with the lie that they need to strive to make amends for the dirty past. Is this how you see it?
This is hard to answer, because the whale came before the story itself, and it arrived not as a symbol but as a starting point. It began when an image sprung to mind of a boy looking at a giant screen with a blue whale on it. I knew I had to write something, but I didn’t really know what… All I had was ‘the whales are talking to the people through the screen’. Why? I came up with the idea of an island being ruled by whales. As I started to write, my own fears about populist politics and climate change melted together, and the whale became a symbol of a huge deception, yes – how big tricks can be pulled right in front of our eyes – but it had several other functions too: they represent climate catastrophe and also education, illustrating what we have to lose and what we have to gain. Whales are crucial for the environment; if they go extinct, then we really are in trouble (their role in the ecosystem supplies us oxygen). But their incredible communication, compassion and teaching of life-skills to their young can be an inspiration. To us small humans, they also instil a sense of awe. And we need to sustain that same feeling of awe about our planet and its creatures. Because when they’re gone, they’re gone. And then we’re gone, too. And finally, through the story of Toorongong, they represent everything from creation to kinship, to the wisdom of our elders. And to that, I say, never ignore history. It tells us all we need to know, especially about human nature.
5. Your 'Mort the Meek' books and the Jim Reaper series are very funny stories- a complete contrast to 'Day of the Whale'! You do both styles very well, but which do you prefer writing?
Sorry to be annoyingly predictable, but I don’t have a favourite. The comedy is a lot of fun. It’s invigorating and light and tends to skip from my fingertips – it’s enormously enjoyable and, dare I say, comes to me more easily that my more intense stuff. But that intense stuff, writing stories that make the brain tick and the heart thump, is intoxicating. It’s harder to get right. My drafts run into double figures. But every redraft is worth it, because not only am I getting the words right, I’m finding new strands to the plot and new ways to weave them together, and I’m getting to know characters in more depth and in turn they’re enriching the story with their actions and reactions. If I could continue my career switching between thrillers and gigglers, that would be perfect!
6. What can we expect from you next?
I’m currently editing a futuristic duology (possibly trilogy) which will be out next year, which explores the definitions of freedom and choice, which is very exciting. I’m also toying with some more comedy ideas and a sister book to Day of the Whale, set at sea. All in good time!
7. And lastly- and most importantly according to my niece- what is your favourite cake?
Really moist lemon drizzle cake with a crisp sugar crust and heaps of lemon juice. Anyone who doesn’t agree is wrong.
Huge thanks to Rachel for answering these questions- so hard to decide which ones to ask!- and I cannot recommend ‘Day of the Whale’ highly enough! You can read my review of it here, but much better than that, read it yourself!!
Day of the Whale Rachel Delahaye
Troika ISBN: 978-1912745197