A review by natverse
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Here's the thing about this book, it is well-written. The author has a great style and the characters and children you meet are so freaking loveable, you cannot hate this book. But here's the other thing about this book, it repackages white saviourism. A non-magical white, queer man is our hero, meant to save the day for all the magical children.

Additionally, I know TJ Klune claims that his inspo came from real effects of the genocide of Indigenous people that are still being felt by their communities to this day, but it absolutely reads like someone who has very little understanding of what being marginalized is like. I can absolutely appreciate his message in "kindness", but it's extremely naive and misguided.

Residental schools are not a feel-good fantasy story. The Sixties Scoop isn't a fun scenario to rethink. If a random author revealed to me that they decided to write a fictionalized version of my grandfather's murder  but make it *fun* and heartwarming, I'd be pissed. Now add in hundreds of years of systemic oppression. Colonizers have always told their version of the story. So for another white guy to write his version of the story, once again, it's like...why?

I should add I didn't know about the residential school connection until someone mentioned it to me halfway through me reading this book, at which point the tone and context really changed for me. It also added an element of predictability with Linus. 
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