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A review by peristome
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
It took me an inordinately long amount of time to finish this book. I almost DNF'd it several times, but I kept picking it up after each dry spell because I wanted to see what the hype was about. I don't think this book is horrible; it's middle of the road for me, in fact. But it has a lot of problems that made me wish I just gave up in the end.
I had a hard time getting attached to the children, since they do not talk or behave like children at all. I did not think of the death threats were cute, I did not think the philosophizing they did was cute. It actually made me mad.Why is Arthur letting them speak to a government employee that way, considering he wants to keep them? I especially hate the "wise kid" trope. Sometimes kids do say the darndest things, but it's not everything they say, all the time and with great wisdom and ancient knowledge or whatever the fuck Lucy's excuse was.
I did really enjoy the relationship between Arthur and Linus, though. It was very sweet, and more importantly, well-paced. I also enjoyed the aspect of middle-aged men finding love together—it's rare in all forms of media, so I appreciate the representation. In fact, it was enough that I almost gave the book 3 stars, but the ending made me lower my rating to what it is now.The ending pretends that Linus had the choice to stay. Categorically, it was not a choice, it was the illusion of choice. Linus couldn't have actually stayed. He needed to go back if he wanted the children to stay in their home. When Linus quits his job and goes back, he doesn't explain this at all, he just apologizes for leaving and says he should have stayed. It pissed me off.
The book is not bad, but I also don't know if I would recommend it, especially because there is the controversy to consider. This book was, according to the author, inspired by the residential schools that Canada and the United States would put Native and First Nations children in. The children were often kidnapped or forcefully taken to these homes and treated terribly. Many died. I am not Native myself so I do not have much to offer in terms of opinion, but many people have come out against this book because of it, and it's a completely valid reason to protest the author or pass this book over. You wouldn't be missing much, either.
I had a hard time getting attached to the children, since they do not talk or behave like children at all. I did not think of the death threats were cute, I did not think the philosophizing they did was cute. It actually made me mad.
I did really enjoy the relationship between Arthur and Linus, though. It was very sweet, and more importantly, well-paced. I also enjoyed the aspect of middle-aged men finding love together—it's rare in all forms of media, so I appreciate the representation. In fact, it was enough that I almost gave the book 3 stars, but the ending made me lower my rating to what it is now.
The book is not bad, but I also don't know if I would recommend it, especially because there is the controversy to consider. This book was, according to the author, inspired by the residential schools that Canada and the United States would put Native and First Nations children in. The children were often kidnapped or forcefully taken to these homes and treated terribly. Many died. I am not Native myself so I do not have much to offer in terms of opinion, but many people have come out against this book because of it, and it's a completely valid reason to protest the author or pass this book over. You wouldn't be missing much, either.