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A review by octopus_farmer
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Frankly, the beginning of this book irked me. I found it flat and irritating and monotonous - Linus's life in the city stinks, and he's merely surviving in an almost dystopian setting until he travels to an island in the ocean full of children that scare him because they aren't typical. I also found his floundering a little disingenuous - his adamant excuses about the bounds of his job as a caseworker probably needed to be there for him to break out of his learned obedience, but it really seemed like the worst kind of sitcom to me, where each of the children had their own gag and he'd react in a bumbling way.
And then something changed, and I cannot precisely put my finger on it, but I began to enjoy the book for its heart. It's still a beach read in my mind, and I cannot reconcile Linus' strange behavior between recognizing bigotry (since some of the story seemed to entail him unlearning similar lessons) and also wanting to put the children in that environment, though it made more sense once it actually happened. In fact, its clearly allegorical structure seems really simplistic and heavy-handed at times, with the children standing in for a variety of marginalized people without really acknowledging the specifics of how bigotry works, what intersectionality is or realizes (for instance, it seemed important that Sal was Black, but his race wasn't ever remarked on as a part of his struggle as apparently the only werewolf in the world. Maybe Klune didn't want to bother with these things and created a world that has no racism or homophobia, but there's also that weird interaction with Linus' neighbor who 'forgets' he's 'not one for the ladies'?? I digress), how resistance can work outside the system, or what 'passing' means for different people. For this reason, I also have some questions about the actual audience of this book, as it seemed to straddle adult and YA. But on the whole, I found it sweet.
And then something changed, and I cannot precisely put my finger on it, but I began to enjoy the book for its heart. It's still a beach read in my mind, and I cannot reconcile Linus' strange behavior between recognizing bigotry (since some of the story seemed to entail him unlearning similar lessons) and also wanting to put the children in that environment, though it made more sense once it actually happened. In fact, its clearly allegorical structure seems really simplistic and heavy-handed at times, with the children standing in for a variety of marginalized people without really acknowledging the specifics of how bigotry works, what intersectionality is or realizes (for instance, it seemed important that Sal was Black, but his race wasn't ever remarked on as a part of his struggle as apparently the only werewolf in the world. Maybe Klune didn't want to bother with these things and created a world that has no racism or homophobia, but there's also that weird interaction with Linus' neighbor who 'forgets' he's 'not one for the ladies'?? I digress), how resistance can work outside the system, or what 'passing' means for different people. For this reason, I also have some questions about the actual audience of this book, as it seemed to straddle adult and YA. But on the whole, I found it sweet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Sexual content, Child abuse, Cursing, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Body shaming, and Confinement
There's a character Lucy, the Antichrist that makes wildly violent statements to people, but it's mostly clear that it is in jest.