I really enjoyed this one which I’m thankful for because I’ve had several let downs recently.

I read this in about a day because I couldn’t put it down! The writing is beautiful and as a child who never wanted to leave the water and longed to be a mermaid so badly I connected with Ren on some level (not to the extreme she went to of course). I remember hopping around with my legs crisscrossed at the ankles in my elemntary school classroom and being enamored with the mermaids in the cartoon of Peter Pan.

The telling of a coming of age tale that didn’t fall into tropes and cis-heteronormativity was refreshing.

My only real “complaint”, and I’m using that term loosely because as I said I loved this, I don’t know if I would call this book a horror book; there’s really only one visceral scene and the rest, while unsettling (or maybe not depending on if you believe Ren’s ideas about herself)  is mostly a coming of age story mixed with a fairy tale…then again, growing up a girl is pretty horrible. The descriptions of how Jim is with the young girls made me seethe and cringe as someone who has experienced this kind of behavior by many men I’ve come into contact with at a young age. It seems universal. I did find a lot of truth in Song’s writing even if Ren and I experienced very different childhoods. 

Normally ambiguous endings annoy me but I was satisfied with this one. Then I keep thinking is it ambiguous though?! I think it’s up to the reader and some context clues to decide that. 

Again I really loved this even though it strayed pretty far out of my chosen horror genre. Looking forward to reading more of Jade Song’s work in the future! 

This is a fever dream of a book that blends the real-world with transformative magic. This novel reads like the memoir filled with growing up with a working mom, a dad in a different country, and a sport to fill the gaps. 

Ren, our narrator, is now a mermaid. She is looking back on her transformation from swimmer who thirsts for water and chlorine to her leaving her family and friends for a life in the water as a mermaid. It is achingly beautifully written. As a former competitive swimmer, it resonated with me.

I could taste the chlorinated air, hear the sets calling out, and feel my muscles moving as I read the text. I also appreciated the perspective on her childhood sapphic crush. 

I struggled reading about the creepy coach. I hate, hate, hate adults in power who do everything up to physically abusing kids. 

I hated that they didn't catch that she was hiding her head injury and her sexual assault. I also hated coach Jim touching her and pressing her to swim above everything else.

Ren's narration felt very real and very alien to me. It highlighted how different her brain works as a mermaid and maybe how much she needed to transform. 

At its heart, this book is about transformation and growing up and leaving relationships and worlds behind to be who you are meant to become. It's about the pressures to shape your body and yourself into something you are not until you realize you have to break free. It's a very worth-while read.