Forbidden Sea (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Forbidden Sea April Spisak Nielson, Sheila A. Forbidden Sea. Scholastic, 2010. [296p.] ISBN 978-0-545-09734-5 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6-8. Sometimes there is no getting around the fact that life often isn't fair or pretty. Fourteen-year-old Adrianne knows this all too well, as she has faced unbelievable struggles that only began with watching her father die two years before. She soldiers on, trying to protect her mother and younger sister from her cruel aunt, the gossip of their hardscrabble fishing village, and the crushing memory of their losses. And, as if grief, near starvation, and being seen only as a friend by her longtime crush weren't enough, now Adrianne is beset by a mermaid who seeks to draw her into the ocean. When Adrianne finally joins the mermaid, the eerily strong and mysterious creature tells her that she is far too good for people, and that she has been chosen to be the wife of a prince in the kingdom underground. A visit shows Adrianne peace, beauty, welcoming, and warmth that aren't available to her above the surface, but, in a deft twist, she refuses to take what is clearly an easier but ultimately less complex route for her life. The author capably balances Adrianne's occasional martyr tendencies with a fierce determination to find a better life than the one the unceasingly ugly world around her apparently offers. While she may seem a bit too perfect at times, her unwavering exterior is nicely muted with a roiling mix of insecurity, unspoken fears, and romantic idealism, none of which Adrianne would 'fess up to if asked. Although mermaid fans may be shocked at her refusal to stay in the underwater haven, those same readers are also likely to understand how true love (of family, self, and, of course, the person of your dreams) can make seemingly untenable situations into chosen lives. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois