A strange and beautiful sea-creature is brought into the marine sanctuary where Sasha works. The sea-girl is kept as an exhibit and for scientific research. But Sasha wants to know more about her – are there more of her kind? What sort of community does she come from? Does she have a family?
There is a story to be told, in exchange for a promise. It is a story of cruelty and grief, of love and longing and pride; the story of Merryn, who makes a traumatic journey from sea and to land, from defiance to finding her true self and the power of sisterhood.
This new fable is from twice Carnegie Medal-winning author, Berlie Doherty. She draws on the folklore of ocean and landscape and, in the language of our oldest tales, weaves the traditional into our modern preoccupations.
Powerful ink and silhouette illustrations by Tamsin Rosewell brighten the tale with a vibrant but classical language of visual storytelling.
Rosewell draws on the long heritage of silhouette and paper-cut work for her inspiration, and adds it to her well-known boldness with colour and structure.
Introduction
When I was very young, my parents collected a partwork magazine called Storyteller. Storyteller was a wonderful mix of traditional stories, simplified versions of classics, new stories written specially for it and poetry. One of my favourite stories was Geordie's Mermaid. Not a simpering mermaid unhappy in her life like Hans Christian's; Geordie's was fierce and brave and eventually (spoiler!) tempted Geordie to sea with her. I've been fascinated by mermaids since, but too many follow the template laid by Hans Christian. This new, beautifully illustrated story does not.
Plot Summary
Our first heroine, Sasha, works at a sealife rehabilitation centre. She's on duty the night a local fisherman brings in the strangest creature they've ever seen - a mermaid, real and alive and in front of them. The centre's directors are ecstatic; this is going to bring so much funding! But Sasha is less sure. As she gets to know the being, she learns about the second story...
Characters
Sasha and Marissa are only present for a small portion of the book, but they make themselves felt. Merryn, the story's true hero, feels completely real. Her struggles and difficulties are true to life, and I cried along with her at certain points.
Writing Style
Berlie's writing has the tone of the best fairytales. The writing is straight forward, without flowery passages that may confuse younger readers. For example, here's a section where Merryn finds herself somewhere she's never been before;
At last, she burst up out of the water into sharp air and took deep, slow, grateful breaths. The air smelt different. She gazed round her, trying to make sense of the new, strange atmosphere. There was light on the water around her, the moon's reflection; but then beyond that was darkness, only darkness. It was like the blackness of night on the sea, but it was different.
Each page is on a sea-blue background, and every so often there are illustrations; Tamsin uses papercut silhouettes, and the effect perfectly complements the tone of the story. It's wonderful.
(I apologise for the wobbliness of the image as I was taking a picture of a computer screen! When I get my hands on the finished book I'll replace this image.)
Themes and Messages
There's a minor conversation about animal welfare and whether we're ever justified keeping them enclosed, even if it's for their protection. Merryn, in her sections, has to learn about responsibility, about the effects one being can have on another, and about forgiveness and kindness. All of this is very much in the background, though; there's no sense of being lectured to.
Setting
Berlie took the very basic story of the Mermaid's Pool in Derbyshire and grew it into this story. The portions set in the pool effectively evoke the feeling of a small village surrounded by a lot of space; the oceanic parts, of course, have a very different feel. The fact that it's based on a real place lends it a feeling of reality despite being obviously a fairy tale.
Strengths
- The beautiful tone
- A gorgeous story
- The illustrations are really fabulous and will stand up to repeated examination
Weaknesses
- It will be too long for younger children
Personal Connection
I really enjoyed this. Merryn's story was terrifying, heartbreaking and uplifting at different times. I keep saying this, but the artwork is so lovely. I can't wait to be able to show other people.
Conclusion
This is going to do really well over Christmas as a gift book. Gorgeous.
The Seamaiden's Odyssey publishes on the 5th of September, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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