kenzieburns's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Such an interesting book! I originally picked this up because I thought it was a short fantasy read, but it's actually a deep work of literary fiction. To be honest, my head is still swimming (no pun intended) with all the symbolism that I probably missed on this first read through. At times, I felt like I was back in high school English class, trying to decode "Flowers for Algernon". I haven't annotated a book in a while, but a few chapters in I realized I needed to for this book. The unreliability of our unnamed narrator, who may or may not be a mermaid, made everything in this book a secret message. Some general themes that I picked up on:
- Wanting a love so bad that it twists you/changes who you are
- Not knowing who you are in the absence of someone else (here, the narrator's father)
- Duty versus desire
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
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