A review by alisarae
Chlorine by Jade Song

dark reflective 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? Yes

4.0

I was drawn to this book because of I grew up swimming competitively. Jade Song so intimately captures the sensation of being a teenage swimmer that it is clear they also lived this experience. 
The book is written mostly in first person, with the mc Ren Yu narrating her transformation from a human girl to a transcendent mermaid. It is a tense, dark, isolating journey, with her best friend/paramour Cathy being the sole source of light. Cathy and Ren's relationship is complex, interesting, and unhealthy on both sides tbh. There is also the uncomfortable and intrusive presence of their coach Jim, whose million little actions add up to a picture of a predator. Ren's relationship with her parents and Chinese identity is also complicated and layered and refreshingly well-written with many scenes showing Ren not embarressed by her otherness but trying to fit herself into a world that isn't ready to accept her. At the very least,  the world doesn't care enough to try to understand. And when Ren reveals herself as a mermaid, only Cathy is willing to accept her for who she is. 
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