The Seamaiden's Odyssey

Merryn longs to explore her ocean world – she is after all a seamaiden. She is also curious about the world above and alongside the ocean – and the strange ‘animals’ that inhabit this world, in particular land-men. But there is also the terrible memory of the day her sister, Jania, was captured and violently taken away. However, that is past – a sorrow never to be forgotten – so why cannot she explore and be independent? Why does she have to be special when this means giving up her freedom to follow tradition and rules? So she escapes, leaving all she knows behind but what she finds is very different to her imagination… will she be able to return?

Berlie Doherty is an accomplished storyteller. Here she draws on a long tradition of folk, fairytale and legend to create this contemporary take on Andersen’s Little Mermaid and the selkie stories; stories that explore in different ways our relationship with the sea and its inhabitants among other themes such as identity, family, growing up. Doherty skilfully weaves all these together into an powerful narrative where reality and magic meet naturally. The writing is direct, contemporary but also rich in imagery and construction. The prose flows easily to make a satisfying, immersive reading experience. The characters are alive whether of the land or of the sea; the reader can believe in Merryn and Sylla as much as Sasha and Howie as they face the dilemmas and decisions that are required. Then there are the illustrations by Tamsin Rosewell. Using the drama of the silhouette combined with jewel- like saturated colours her double page spreads emphasise the magic of the story while the occasional images crossing some pages bring life the text. Every page is framed by the colours of the sea in all their variety – soft, bold, textured. Reading this book the reader dives into a sea world indeed. An outstanding addition to any shelf.