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notalightbulb's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This is a story about girlhood. This is a story about swimming as a lifestyle, as a way of being. This is a story about a mermaid. And it was damn good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Blood
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Medical content
faeriviera's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Uh...wow.
Lyrical prose, deeply unsettling, ultimately does precisely what it sets out to do, which is show how damaging the pressures of being teenage girls, particularly those who don't fit the molds of "normal", can be. <You will likely pray for the comeuppance of every man in her life but I'm warning you now, it will not come. >
Lyrical prose, deeply unsettling, ultimately does precisely what it sets out to do, which is show how damaging the pressures of being teenage girls, particularly those who don't fit the molds of "normal", can be. <You will likely pray for the comeuppance of every man in her life but I'm warning you now, it will not come. >
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use and Racism
jayisreading's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.0
I’m on the fence with this one. I thought the themes were incredibly strong. Song presented a wonderfully complex protagonist, Ren Yu, dealing with the tribulations of competitive high school swimming. The complexity of her character really came together due to Song’s thorough exploration of Ren’s multifaceted identity: feeling the pressure to succeed as the daughter of Chinese immigrants (and dealing with microaggressions on top of that), discovering queer intimacies in (and out of) the pool, as well as dealing with the discomforts of being a teenage girl whose body is heavily scrutinized and how it’s (mis)treated. You don’t have to like Ren—I admit I wasn’t the biggest fan of her—but you can’t deny that she’s a well-developed character.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t as taken to the plot and execution. I wasn’t quite certain what Song wanted the reader to get from this book. At its core, the book focuses on Ren’s desire to get out of her human body in order to become a mermaid. There isn’t much reflection on this, though, especially the why any of it mattered. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the use of fantastical elements to craft this longing because I didn’t understand the motivation. Ultimately, I think what I’m trying to say is that I wish this part of the book was developed more and that there was more backstory.
This was an interesting book. It didn’t entirely work for me, but I didn’t think it was mediocre or anything. One thing I will say is to pay particular attention to the content warnings. Song doesn’t embellish in their writing.
Note: I received an ARC from a giveaway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Homophobia
sxndaze's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It’s a little haunting and heartbreaking. It’s unsettling to relate to some of the aspects, especially Ren’s experience as a queer Chinese person. The characters aren’t particularly likeable, but it works with the story and the circumstances they’re shrouded in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, and Alcohol
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book won't be for everyone, but as a former competitive swimmer (who still swims, albeit recreationally) it was everything to me.
Chlorine is a story about a girl who's over-powering drive towards obsession rewards her with a freedom that comes with the highest stakes. Ren's dark journey through competitive high school swimming spoke heavily to my own experiences as a swimmer, from the back-breaking practices to the high intensity of swim meets to (almost) everything in-between.
I particularly enjoyed how the author gradually stacks the dominos against Ren, building up layers upon layers of trauma laced with issues ranging from abandonment, sexual trauma, and emotional abuse, culminating in the final breaking of her psyche. The writing was highly compelling, spurring me onwards to determine what was in store for Ren. The only thing I found issue with was the ending; I felt like the conclusion of the story dragged on for longer that was necessary, especially after reaching the climax of Ren's transformation.
Nonetheless, even though I don't normally gravitate towards the horror genre, I still enjoyed this book very much and I look forward to exploring more of Jade Song's works in the future.
Chlorine is a story about a girl who's over-powering drive towards obsession rewards her with a freedom that comes with the highest stakes. Ren's dark journey through competitive high school swimming spoke heavily to my own experiences as a swimmer, from the back-breaking practices to the high intensity of swim meets to (almost) everything in-between.
I particularly enjoyed how the author gradually stacks the dominos against Ren, building up layers upon layers of trauma laced with issues ranging from abandonment, sexual trauma, and emotional abuse, culminating in the final breaking of her psyche. The writing was highly compelling, spurring me onwards to determine what was in store for Ren. The only thing I found issue with was the ending; I felt like the conclusion of the story dragged on for longer that was necessary, especially after reaching the climax of Ren's transformation.
Nonetheless, even though I don't normally gravitate towards the horror genre, I still enjoyed this book very much and I look forward to exploring more of Jade Song's works in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Vomit
teseyasfalcon's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Wanted to love this way more than I did. It shouldn't have been comped to The Vegetarian because it set my expectations way too high/in a different direction and that kept me from enjoying as much as I could have. I also wanted more showing less telling; the pov was a bit too distant or self aware in a lot of parts and I wanted a closer intimacy/viscerality with her psyche. Without that intimacy the "these humans versus I the mermaid" didn't quite land convincingly. I think the retrospective and Cathy's letters took me out of it similarly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Eating disorder and Sexual harassment
moonytoast's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you so much to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!
Chorine is a searing, deranged coming-of-age story and an apt depiction of the horrors at the intersection of girlhood and competitive athletics. It's wild and unapologetically, viscerally raw. The story follows Ren Yu, a young girl obsessed with water and the mythology of mermaids who–under the devastating weight of competitive swimming–devises to shed her human form and transform into her true self: a mermaid. Her ascension into her true self is a brilliant vision of body horror.
There’s such a depth and complexity to Ren Yu that the narrative style captures and lures the reader in like a siren… I started reading this book and it’s so easy to fall into the story and completely forget a world exists outside of the one Jade Song constructs. Ren's first person narration is interjected throughout with literal messages-in-a-bottle from Cathy, Ren's friend and fellow swim team member, further detailing the relationship between the two of them and providing more insight into the timeline leading up to Ren’s grand transformation. Song's prose is strikingly evocative and one of my favorite aspects of this book. (Don't ask me how many whole paragraphs I have highlighted on my e-ARC.)
There something twisted yet beautiful about the ending—Ren Yu achieves her escape into the water and finds the home she has always desired, but at a cost. In that sense, it’s almost reminiscent of traditional mermaid folklore where the ending is not always entirely happy.
In conclusion: GIVE! ME! MORE! DERANGED! COMING-OF-AGE! TEEN! GIRL! NARRATIVES!
Chorine is a searing, deranged coming-of-age story and an apt depiction of the horrors at the intersection of girlhood and competitive athletics. It's wild and unapologetically, viscerally raw. The story follows Ren Yu, a young girl obsessed with water and the mythology of mermaids who–under the devastating weight of competitive swimming–devises to shed her human form and transform into her true self: a mermaid. Her ascension into her true self is a brilliant vision of body horror.
There’s such a depth and complexity to Ren Yu that the narrative style captures and lures the reader in like a siren… I started reading this book and it’s so easy to fall into the story and completely forget a world exists outside of the one Jade Song constructs. Ren's first person narration is interjected throughout with literal messages-in-a-bottle from Cathy, Ren's friend and fellow swim team member, further detailing the relationship between the two of them and providing more insight into the timeline leading up to Ren’s grand transformation. Song's prose is strikingly evocative and one of my favorite aspects of this book. (Don't ask me how many whole paragraphs I have highlighted on my e-ARC.)
There something twisted yet beautiful about the ending—Ren Yu achieves her escape into the water and finds the home she has always desired, but at a cost. In that sense, it’s almost reminiscent of traditional mermaid folklore where the ending is not always entirely happy.
In conclusion: GIVE! ME! MORE! DERANGED! COMING-OF-AGE! TEEN! GIRL! NARRATIVES!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Medical content
jenmcreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
gcjay1994's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Still really processing what I read, but it was impactful. On the one hand, I am kinda grossed out by what I listened to, but on the other hand, isn't that kind of the point? Ren goes through some pretty dark moments as she tries to learn who she wants to become.
As someone who is typically pretty good with most content, I was pretty triggered by a lot of things in this book. Please be wary before picking this up.
As someone who is typically pretty good with most content, I was pretty triggered by a lot of things in this book. Please be wary before picking this up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
jamie_reads_stuff's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!
This was a stunning debut from Jade Song about the pressures of expectations and claiming your own independence and choices. Ren is a very compelling, obsessive, and delusional character and I was hooked every step of the way. I also really appreciated the content warnings at the beginning (which I recommend reading since this is book leans into horror quite a bit). I will say that this is not a plot driven book and the focus is more on Ren as a character and thus some of the plot events are a bit slower. It's reminiscent of Black Swan, and I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed the movie! Overall, a really strong debut and I'm excited for what Jade Song comes out with next!
Chlorine comes out March 23rd!
This was a stunning debut from Jade Song about the pressures of expectations and claiming your own independence and choices. Ren is a very compelling, obsessive, and delusional character and I was hooked every step of the way. I also really appreciated the content warnings at the beginning (which I recommend reading since this is book leans into horror quite a bit). I will say that this is not a plot driven book and the focus is more on Ren as a character and thus some of the plot events are a bit slower. It's reminiscent of Black Swan, and I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed the movie! Overall, a really strong debut and I'm excited for what Jade Song comes out with next!
Chlorine comes out March 23rd!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, and Vomit
Moderate: Sexual assault, Abortion, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Minor: Pedophilia, Racism, and Pregnancy