Why Fish Don't Exist

A Story of Loss, Love and the Hidden Order of Life

By: Lulu Miller

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Hardcover | 10 October 2024

At a Glance

Hardcover
240 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.6 x 13.5

Hardcover

RRP $39.99

$38.75

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LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025

'A sumptuous, surprising, dark delight' Carmen Maria Machado

'Genre-defying . . . fast-moving, deftly balanced, full of surprises' Guardian's Books of the Day

'Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten' New York Times Book Review

'A magical hybrid of science, portraiture and memoir' Susan Orlean

'Wholly unique and a true delight' Refinery29

__________

If fish don't exist, what else do we have wrong?

As a child, Lulu Miller's scientist father taught her that chaos will come for us all. There is no cosmic destiny, no plan. Enter David Starr Jordan, 19th-century taxonomist and believer in order. A fish specialist devoted to mapping out the great tree of life, who spent his days pinning down unruly fins, studying shimmering scales and sealing new discoveries into jars of ethanol.

At a time when Lulu's life is unravelling, David Starr Jordan beckons. Reading about Jordan's sheer perseverance after an earthquake shattered his collection, Lulu stumbles upon an unexpected antidote to life's unpredictability. But lurking behind the lore of this mighty taxonomist lies a darker tale waiting to be told: one about the human cost of attempting to define the form of things unknown.

This is a story unlike any other you've read before. It's about a very tall man with a walrus moustache, the injustices and unexpected deliverances of the universe, love that strikes like lightning and about why fish don't exist after all.

Industry Reviews

'I want to live at this books address: the intersection of history and biology and wonder and failure and sheer human stubbornness. What a sumptuous, surprising, dark delight' - Carmen Maria Machado, author of Into the Dream House

'At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish . . . comes up for air, and realizes shes in love. Thats how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten' - The New York Times Book Review

'Why Fish Dont Exist is a book about losing love and finding it, a book about how faith sustains us and also how it grows toxic. Its a story told with an open heart, every page of it animated by verve, nuance, and full-throated curiosity' - Leslie Jamison, author of Make It Scream, Make It Burn

'Riveting. Surprising. Shocking, even! . . . Narrated in Lulu Millers intimate, quirky voice, this is a story of science and struggle, of heartbreak and chaos. This book will capture your heart, seize your imagination, smash your preconceptions, and rock your world' - Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus

'Moves gracefully between reporting and meditation, big questions and small moments. A magical hybrid of science, portraiture, and memoir-and a delight to read' - Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book

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