This was a mesmerizing story is based on the bizarre real-life experiment in 1965 in which young Margaret Howe lived in a house with Peter the dolphin. Schulman grants both Cora—the Howe character—and Junior—the whale—meaningful  backstories that add tremendous depth to all of her characters and the plotline itself. The slightly halting sentence structure permeated throughout, echoing Cora’s notetaking practices, the dolphin’s speech, and the brusque interactions with the men. Parts of this are strange and uncomfortable, but all engrossing.