Why Fish Dont Exist: A Story of Finding Our Way in a Chaotic World

Longlisted for the Womens Prize for Non-Fiction 2025: the profound and life-affirming memoir about finding our way in a chaotic worldA sumptuous, surprising, dark delight Carmen Maria MachadoFast-moving, deftly balanced, full of surprises Guardians Book of the DayA bold and original blend of memoir and science Elizabeth BuchananIf fish dont exist, what else do we have wrong?As a child, Lulu Millers 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 Lulus life is unravelling, David Starr Jordan beckons. Reading about Jordans sheer perseverance after an earthquake shattered his collection, Lulu stumbles upon an unexpected antidote to lifes 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 youve read before. Its 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 dont exist after all.