Mitt later commits suicide by jumping off a boat off the coast of Monastery Beach near Monterey, California while weighed down with diving weights.

Throughout the ordeal, Jay communicates with the disembodied voice of his father, which seems to be connected to the whale, and the two eventually make amends.

Whalefall received generally positive reviews and was included in a list of the "Best Thrillers of 2023" by the New York Times.

[3] Lyall also suggests that the psychological explorations of Jay's and Mitt's relationship can sometimes feel "a bit heavy-handed."

[4] NPR's Up First podcast described the book as a "page-turning thriller" and a "deep meditation on fathers, sons and loss.