THE MERMAID IN THE SWIMMING POOL

by Douglass Wallop ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 26, 1968

You may remember Wallop from The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant which converted to Damn Yankees on Broadway. That middle-aged baseball fanatic, Joe Hardy was almost lost to the Devil. Here Joe has become Frank Coleman and his passion has turned from the big Diamond to the big bottle and again he is almost lost. . . this time to the mermaid in his immaculate new swimming pool. Frank is a man ""filled with vague regrets,"" who sits by the pool musing over a prosperous past, a son and daughter now leading their separate lives and a wife with whom he's emotionally separated. They rarely see each other except by the pool which has become their focal point of contact, an ""idiot child, born to them in their declining years"" as they fuss about the filter system, etc. And then one night Mona appears, a vision with tail; she lures him into the pool and eventually to the sea where they explore an incredible world where her only demand is ""love me back"" which he does. The reader will also fall a little in love with Frank and his dream? delusion? The script has lovely comic moments as glassy eyed Frank attempts to keep the pool free of debris for Mona's infrequent appearances and there is a bitter-sweetness in Frank's attempt to get the wife away so that he can have a last weekend with his sea siren before autumn declares that pools must be closed. A charming modern myth that most will respond to.

Pub Date: April 26, 1968

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1968

Categories: FICTION