Some viewers of The White Lotus are wondering about A Wall of Ocean, a book that Lochlan reads during the Season 3 finale. Series creator and director Mike White has a penchant for using real books as more than just a prop. For instance, the spa expert Belinda in the fourth episode reads “Surrounded by Narcissists” by Thomas Erikson, which is a guide to “Effectively Recognize, Avoid, and Defend Yourself Against Toxic People (and Not Lose Your Mind).” That’s quite on point. Here’s what we know about Lochlan’s book in The White Lotus finale.
What is Lochlan’s A Wall of Ocean book in The White Lotus Season 3 finale?
The book Lochlan reads in the Season 3 finale called “A Wall of Ocean” is actually not a real book.
This is surprising because we see the youngest family member of the Ratliff family holding real books throughout the season. This includes the 1890 novel Hunger by Knut Hamsun, which has a protagonist that, similar to Lochlan, is still trying to discover himself while trying to maintain appearances during a time of physical and mental deterioration.
As for “A Wall of Ocean,” Lochlan is interrupted while reading this fictional book when his father Timothy begins talking to him. Unlike the other members of the family, Lochlan says that he could probably survive having no house or money, which is partly why Tim tries to save Lochlan from drinking a piña colada that has spiked with the fruit from the Pong Pong tree.
At any rate, the title of the book is rather fitting for Lochlan, who has been spewing out facts about tsunami disasters throughout the season, to the horrors of his mother Victoria. It turns out that this fear is less physical and more metaphorical (it’s as “real” as the book is), as his mind equates his struggle to survive a near-death experience as a drowning after unknowingly consuming the remains of the piña colada in the blender.
Fortunately, he doesn’t succumb to the poison and is figuratively reborn, saying that he thinks he saw God while being cradled by his father near the pool. This provides him with a spiritual anchor, which is something he has been looking for in his struggle to find his own identity, one that isn’t caught up with his brother’s or sister’s. By overcoming the wall of ocean, he has emerged on the other side with a better sense of self.
