John Ironmonger was born and grew up in East Africa. He has a doctorate in zoology, and was once an expert on freshwater leeches. He is the author of The Good Zoo Guide and the novels The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder (shortlisted for the 2012 Costa First Novel Prize and the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize), The Coincidence Authority and The Whale at the End of the World (an international bestseller). He has also been part of a world record team for speed reading Shakespeare, has driven across the Sahara in a £100 banger, and once met Jared Diamond in a forest in the middle of Sumatra.

Previously published as NOT FORGETTING THE WHALE
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

'A gentle and uplifting tale of warding off apocalypse in a remote corner of Cornwall . . . charming' Financial Times
For fans of ELEANOR OLIPHANT, THE ROSIE PROJECT & THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY.
It all began with the whale.
When a young man washes up on the sands of St Piran in Cornwall, it is clear to the villagers that this is not a regular day. What has brought him here? And what is the crisis only he understands, that threatens not only their community but all of civilisation?
With a global pandemic on the horizon, and a whale lurking in the bay, the villagers of St Piran must band together to survive. Intimate, funny and heart-warming, John Ironmonger tells a compelling story about the important things that hold us together, and how hope can be found, even at the end of the world.
'Fun, uplifting, charming' Financial Times
'A warm-hearted book crammed with ideas . . . very, very good' Emerald Street
'A tremendously enjoyable book' Independent on Sunday