The Storm Swimmer

Ginika is sent to stay with her grandparents, who run a boarding house on the Cumbrian coast, when her parents’ problems mean that they have become homeless and have to live in their campervan. Mum, who is Nigerian and cooks lovely Nigerian food, works in a care home and often sleeps over, and Dad drives a delivery van, but the family has been evicted for non-payment of rent, with most of their belongings sold.  This is just before the summer holidays start: desperately unhappy at missing her dance show at the end of term and also her best friend Alisha, Ginika is sulky when she arrives at Cormorant Heights, and goes off to stare at the sea.

When she notices a mysterious boy who moves differently in the water, she is intrigued. He turns out to be one of the sea-people, living under water and speaking their own language. Ginika calls her new friend by part of his name, Peri, and they find a way to communicate through pictures, English words and sign language. Peri’s fascination with life on land leads to some interesting situations as she carts him around in a trolley attached to a bike, and they have to avoid other people, especially Scarlett, daughter of the holiday camp owner, and her friends, 3 girls all called Olivia. Some disabled children are staying at the camp, and Ginika also becomes friendly with Ted, who spends most of his time in a wheelchair, but he can spend a short time out of it. When Peri’s health deteriorates and he urgently needs to be returned to a particular cave in another cove to call for help, Ginika has to overcome her own fear of drowning, Ted finds he can do more than he knew, and Scarlett becomes a friend after all. Peri’s people come to rescue him and they all go far out to sea, but Grandpa, who, it turns out, had seen the sea people before when he was young, translates that he will be back next summer. Ginika will be back, too, as her parents’ lives have improved, and she can go back to London, but she is now happy to have two homes.

This is an inventive and original story, with much to say about varying friendships and relationships – it turns out that the Olivias resent being lumped together and want to be treated as individuals, and Scarlett has tried to be a friend, but had been rebuffed. Ginika has spent a lot of time sneaking around and keeping secrets, and she learns to be more trusting.  It’s a good story, with credible human characters, and Peri is a wonderful invention.