Part memoir, part natural history, and part philosophical examination of the nature of life itself, The Book of Eels is a moving, enlightening, and fascinating book about an extraordinarily enigmatic creature. For centuries, the "eel question"—that is, where do eels come from, and how do they reproduce—has captivated and befuddled philosophers and scientists from Aristotle to Rachel Carson. Patrik Svensson, who spent his childhood in Sweden fishing for eels with his father, offers a ruminative and intimate exploration of the elusive species, which teeters toward extinction even as significant gaps remain in our understanding of how eels live, reproduce, and die. Beautifully written and compellingly personal, The Book of Eels goes a long way to explain "our enduring fascination with the most mysterious creature in the natural world."