TheGospeloftheEels

Part-memoir, part-scientific exploration, The Gospel of the Eels by Patrick Svensson explores the subject of the eel as it appears in science, art, literature and his family. It took me months to read this book - though I was excited by the premise.

I doubt I'll ever again find a book so thoroughly engaged with the eel. They're somewhat creepy and slimy, and as a vegetarian I have no intention of eating one either. I am not, in short, a fan of eels. Svensson has somehow managed to push me closer. The mystery of eels - or the European eel more specifically- is fascinating. You will soon learn on reading this book that very little is known about the life cycle of the eel despite countless attempts to unveil its secrets. Svensson effectively argues for his penultimate theme of preservation in chronicling the wonder and mystery of the eel, which unfortunately suffers from climate and overfishing.

This book was beautifully and uniquely written, but unfortunately bored me at times. Each chapter generally discussed a different theme or moment in the history of eels or Svensson's interaction with them. Some of these subjects, such as Freud's time experimenting on eels or the eel in literature, were fascinating. Others, however, were a bit of a slog to get through. It is important to note here that this was a translated work for me, which certainly could have affected the excitability of certain passages, but I nevertheless found myself longing for an audiobook to get me through the denser parts of the book.

Eel conservation: www.zsl.org/conservation/regions/uk-europe/eel-conservation
Marine Conservation Society: www.mcsuk.org/30species/european-eel
Sustainable Eel Group: www.sustainableeelgroup.org/

I would like to thank Netgalley and Patrik Svensson for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.