I have two book reviews up for today, one middle grade translated fiction, the other horror/weird fiction.

Let’s start with Seacrow Island.

Seacrow Island was written by Astrid Lindgren, who is best known for her character Pippi Longstocking. Confession time: I never liked Pippi. She was too unpredictable for me and I didn’t care for that. So I never read any of Lindgren’s other books, assuming I wouldn’t like them either. And honestly, the next one I tried was last year for language arts with Wyatt, and – we didn’t like it. We tried reading Ronia, and we were so bored, so I put that one down and we read something different. However, I saw this book online and I was like, ok one more shot Astrid. And I am glad that I took the chance and read it because I loved it. It was cozy and delightful, filled with quirky characters and animals.

This is the perfect little summer read! I was transported to this small island, filled with family and friends and wonderful animals. I absolutely adore the loyal Bosun, Pelle and his love for all creatures great and small, from wasps to seals and dogs and everything else under the sun. I did have a little cry but overall this book is just perfect for reading and daydreaming. It reminded me of The Penderwicks and the dad reminded me of the father from The Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink, a little helpless and haphazard. It’s just a wonderful story of children being children and idyllic childhoods, and like I said in my post the other day, now I want to find a small island in the Baltic to summer on with my family.

Chlorine by Jade Song is a a debut book, but it’s a powerhouse. It is a short read, but not a fast one. It is intense, complex, visceral. That was the word that kept coming to me while reading it and describing it to people around me, visceral. Raw. Sort of gross and fluid filled. You forget actually, that you are reading a horror novel, and not some modern classic coming of age, although it is that too. The horror is a slow unraveling; the is a book about ascending and transcending and descending. I didn’t want to put it down while reading, and the times that I did have to come up for air, I was thinking about the book, because there is a lot to think about. I could never do it justice in a review.

Ren’s mother gifts her a mermaid book as a small toddler, still in daycare. She is a very gifted child and even though the book is far too advanced for her age, she can read it. Her pre-school teacher refuses to believe it though, and tests her on reading the book at different times during the day, trying to trip her up. Which is totally despicable to do to a child, but it sets the tone for Ren’s life. Always under pressure, always being tested, always needing to live up to different expectations. Not from her parents; her parents were not like that. They had expectations for Ren, but they were not “tiger parents”. They just wanted the best for her, but mostly stayed out of her way, especially her dad who lived in China. Her mom wanted to make Ren happy, that was obvious. She loved her daughter.

On the surface, this book is about a young girl and her obsession with swimming, with mermaids, with perfection. Once you dive deeper though, there are other themes that stand out. Pain. Isolation. The betrayal of her body, of men. And then the shocking climax to it all, and then the murky ending – Ren exerting bodily autonomy, searching for freedom.

Ren’s love of mermaids leads to a desire to join the swim team, which then turns into a journey to perfection, staying a star swimmer, pleasing her coach, who is not only mercurial in temper but also inappropriate and lecherous. He has exacting expectations for their diets, for their performance, but particularly for his top swimmers, for Ren. The pair make for a good team in terms of swimming and winning, but it is also very destructive for Ren, so much so that when she gets a concussion she goes to practice too soon, before she is healed.

I have a lot to say about this book, and just like when I read The God of the Woods, I am not comfortable typing it out because of spoilers. If you want to listen to me ramble about this, I am posting a video, but beware that I will be giving away spoilers in talking about it fully. I will probably post tomorrow, and make a new blog post with the link.

This book is amazing. It is also gross, repellent in some places, and requires many trigger warnings. In fact they are listed in the author’s note at the start of the book. They are listed as racism, misogyny, self-harm, eating disorders, homophobia, depression, and sexual violence. It was not an easy read at all, but it was a read that I absolutely ended up being glad that I read. It is not feel good. It is not cozy. It probes your brain and makes you think and is horrifying and sad. It is well written though, and I can see this becoming a book that is studied and dissected in university classrooms. It is powerful and alarming and weighty, for a book about needing to stay afloat.

Chlorine is a five star read for me.