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The Mermaid's Daughter

A Novel

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"Captures the mystery, tragic loss, and beauty of Hans Christian Andersen's original mermaid tale while thoughtfully and passionately updating it." —Publishers Weekly
A modern-day expansion of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," Ann Claycomb's unforgettable debut novel weaves a spellbinding tale of magic and the power of love.

Since childhood, Kathleen has been plagued by bizarre maladies, from stabbing pains in her feet to the terrifying sensation of her tongue being cut out. Teams of doctors have been unable to diagnose her, and only the touch of seawater temporarily eases her pain.

Studying opera at a top conservatory, Kathleen shows tremendous promise as a soprano, but her phantom pains and obsession with the sea grow more debilitating every day. Her girlfriend, Harry, a talented singer in her own right, worries Kathleen will suffer the same fate as her mother and grandmother. When Kathleen has yet another dangerous breakdown, Harry convinces her to return to her Irish birthplace to try to make sense of a legacy of tragedy.

But in Ireland, they soon discover that Kathleen's family history is far older and darker than either could have imagined. Kathleen's fate seems sealed, and the only way out is to make the worst choice of all: ending her lover's life or her own.

"Beautifully written and captivating . . . Claycomb's use of the fairy tale is deft and enchanting . . . A satisfying emotional journey, one that's heart-wrenching and also a little magical." —New York Daily News
 

"Anyone who reads it will never look at The Little Mermaid the same way again." —Kim van Alkemade, New York Times–bestselling author of Orphan #eight

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 30, 2017
      The tale of the Little Mermaid may be well-known, but don’t look for the Disneyfied version in Claycomb’s fine debut. Here, the story swirls around Kathleen Conarn, a young student learning opera at conservatory. She’s not just any music student, but an amazing soprano from a family of musical talents (her Irish-born father, Robin, is a famous composer). Kathleen has always experienced extreme pain piercing the bottom of her feet and, strangely, the only thing that temporarily soothes her is seawater. She feels a strong connection to the sea, though her mother drowned herself in Ireland when Kathleen was just a baby. When it turns out that the women in Kathleen’s family have had a history of suicidal acts near the sea for more than a few generations, the situation begins to smell fishy, and Kathleen’s girlfriend, Harry (short for Harriet), wants to take her to Ireland to see if they can uncover some truth about Kathleen’s family history and her suffering. Claycomb structures the book into three acts, like an opera, and deftly switches between Kathleen’s and Harry’s voices—punctuated by Robin’s “Composer Notes”—to create the effect of singers baring their souls. Written with attention to musicality and the murmuring backdrop of the incessant ocean, this inventive story captures the mystery, tragic loss, and beauty of Hans Christian Andersen’s original mermaid tale while thoughtfully and passionately updating it.

    • Booklist

      January 1, 2017
      Self-styled drama queen, Kathleen's phantom pain in her feet and mouth is anything but artifice; it is the same kind of inexplicable, excruciating pain that drove her mother to suicide. The only thing that affords Kathleen relief is immersion in water, preferably the sea, though it is the sea that generations of women in her Irish family, which seems to be cursed, have chosen as their means of suicide. Now, on a vacation trip to Florida with her girlfriend, Harry, she begins hearing mysterious voices from the sea calling, Come home. Come home. Angrily denying their summons, she returns home with Harry to Boston, where Kathleen suffers a debilitating attack that leaves her hospitalized. Harry and Kathleen's father agree that an end to her pain might be found if she is taken to Ireland. But will it? Claycomb's fine first novel is told from multiple points of view, even that of mermaids, for, yes, the novel is a loose retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid. And, like its source, it is numinous and lovely.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

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