Editorial deficiencies aside, this myth-novel will pull readers along with its entrancing story and, in the right hands,...
A unique combination of mermaid myth and realistic childhood portrait that has a power of story far outweighing its weak writing.
Twelve-year-old Marian lives on a cliff next to the ocean, but her mother has never allowed her to go into the water due to Marian's unusual health problem: Every few years she comes down with an undiagnosable illness in which her bones ache, her lungs fill with fluid, and her body temperature drops 17 degrees. Each time, baffled doctors proclaim she's dying, only to see her recover within days. One night Marian wanders out of her bedroom and down the cliff to the ocean. Stripping off her nightgown, she plunges into the sea, diving, whirling–and communicating with ocean creatures. Has she turned into a fish? A mermaid? Has she always been a mermaid? (One pretty good hint: syndactylism, i.e., webbed toes, a physical trait she shares with her grandmother.) At 17, Marian approaches a kind of critical crossroads: Is her illness slowly ending her life, or is she just "swimming away"? Perspective jumps around, and the editing is sloppy, but the mythic aspect of the story goes a long way toward saving the narrative. When Marian flies to Alaska to help with a marine animal rescue, she clearly won't be returning to California–or dry land at all. The depiction of Marian's final transformation into sea-life feels too easy, but the end result is mystical and satisfying.
Editorial deficiencies aside, this myth-novel will pull readers along with its entrancing story and, in the right hands, could have strong film potential.Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2004
ISBN: 0-9746481-2-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
In a well-written gambol through weirdness, Skinner (The Wrecker, 1995, etc.) offers four highly imaginative short stories about young people with supernatural powers. In the first story, Jenny can change the world, and change history, by changing the maps she draws. The narrator, Laurie, knows Jenny is out of control, and when Jenny creates a second sun and splits the earth in two, Laurie is ready to act. The second story is about a world where people “bop”—instant travel just by thinking of a location—instead of walking from one place to another. Mae, however, either can’t bop, or won’t, a prospect that intrigues the narrator. In the third tale, Meredith, who has a supernatural connection with the planet Pluto, and Dexter, who is able to spray-paint with his mind, unite their powers. In the fourth and longest story, Jake finds himself deeply in love with a religious girl, Louise, and both of them are tempted by the powers a metahuman, Nina, has bestowed upon them. All four stories will captivate readers, and may even get them thinking about deeper ideas. Skinner’s often humorous portrayal of young adolescents is on target, and while the stories resemble writing exercises, lacking the sustained, pulse-pounding poetic turns of his novels, they are consistently entertaining. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 9-14)
Pub Date: June 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-80556-X
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
PLB 0-7868-2401-8 In a work of science fiction, Lasky (A Brilliant Streak, 1998, etc.) tackles both the morality of human cloning and the potential for people to cover their tracks through the time-honored tradition of manipulating language. Darci has grown up believing she’s a “Genhant,” or genetically enhanced human, one of the privileged people in a future society where all babies are to some degree genetically planned. She doesn’t understand why she is attracted to the “Originals,” people with only minimal genetic alterations, or why she is interested in the meaning of words others take for granted. Through careful plotting, Lasky throws readers some intriguing “ethical” bones to chew on, e.g., when Darci comes face to face with her own clone, are they exactly the same person or is there some intrinsic difference’something like a soul? Can language cover up as well as it can explain? These intellectual tussles will foster discussion, especially since the issues are already part of the public forum. If the story has weaknesses, it is in some of its assumptions, e.g., that hundreds of years into the future, societal structures such as the nuclear family will still exist, when even today it seems to be crumbling. (Fiction. 11-15)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7868-0459-9
Page Count: 204
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1999
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