THE SEA IN YOU

Goth teen Corinth meets a fierce and curious mermaid in this retelling of “The Little Mermaid.”

High schooler Corinth lives in a seaside town and has loving parents, including a Deaf mom with whom she signs, but no real friends outside of her emotionally abusive boyfriend, Seth. One day, while cleaning up garbage on the beach, Corinth is pulled under the water by a mysterious blue mermaid, whom she soon befriends. The two become very close—close enough that mermaid Skylla decides to use dangerous magic to become human so she can be with Corinth. Corinth and Seth appear White; in her human form, Skylla has light-brown skin and wavy brown hair. Corinth is short and curvy, while Skylla is tall and muscular. The art style is cute and colorful, and the mermaid’s design is pleasingly piscine. This offering is successful as a fairy-tale retelling, keeping the original’s major beats but fleshing out the modern characters and their world, making it feel fresh. This is clearly a love story but without a romantic kiss and featuring the liberal use of the word friend to describe the relationship between the female leads. Some readers may find this disappointing, while others may appreciate that the love between Skylla and Corinth does not require typical romantic labels.

An endearing book that is simultaneously fun and moving.