As Big as the World

An emotionally resonant, literary page-turner about three eccentric and intensely dedicated scientists coming together to understand and decipher endangered whales in this long-awaited novel from the author of The Highest Tide. The wonder and mystery of whales is intimately revealed in this deeply researched literary novel about these elusive giants and the scientists who push themselves to the breaking point to try to know them. Simone Bisset free dives with a sperm whale family in the Atlantic to better observe their culture and language, even as she struggles to hold her own splintering family together. Miles O’Malley is a blue whale expert with a freakish knack for making marine discoveries in the vast Pacific. He prefers solo outings because he fears that his gift comes at a great cost—losing the people closest to him. Trista Knight records humpback songs in the Southern Ocean, knowing she must try to control her long manias that often precede her brilliant insights. At the cutting edge of discovery, this trio of underdog researchers each receives a generous grant from awkward Silicon Valley tech titan James P. Newman, who, to his surprise, is becoming obsessed with whales. But no matter how well-funded, studying whales in the wild oceans is often as dangerous and heartbreaking as it is exhilarating. Nobody knows this better than Simone, Miles, and Trista. With every new finding, the scientists’ breakthroughs and personal stories become increasingly intertwined, revealing as much about human nature as they do about the lives of whales. Moving between France, the United States and New Zealand, and across three vast oceans, As Big as the World is a deeply imaginative and powerful novel that rides the waves of emerging knowledge about our warm-blooded sea-dwelling relatives, including how AI and supercomputers are now used to help interpret whale songs and communication.