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A review by treeandme
The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill
4.0
Review originally posted on: https://museofnyxmares.wordpress.com/2018/08/24/review-the-surface-breaks-by-louise-oneill/
I didn’t expect this book to be quite so dark and I was pleasantly surprised at just how far the author went, in order to bring out some of the overlooked, gruesome elements of The Little Mermaid. Although I don’t fully recall everything that happened in the original tale, I know enough to appreciate that the author highlighted in a very poignant, feminist way some of the more disturbing aspects of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale.
One of the most horrific parts is when the Sea Witch tells Gaia what she will have to sacrifice and endure, if she chooses to follow the human boy into his world. The proposition is just the same as in The Little Mermaid, but it is made very clear through O’Neill’s emotive, haunting language just how barbaric this exchange would be. And the feminist spin is really evident here, as Gaia would essentially be mutilating her body and sacrificing her voice for a man. What is even more troubling is that in the consideration of the deal, Gaia tries to reason with herself that her looks and her body is all she would need to make a man fall in love her, as that is what women are spoon fed in her underwater kingdom.
The writing was so powerful, it wasn’t flowery and poetic, but brutal and honest, exactly what this dark story required. I personally think that the feminist take was done very well and can’t really understand why people believe that this is a case of false advertising. Some have criticised the character of Gaia, stating that she says and does things that don’t reflect feminism, such as remarking on the Sea Witch’s weight and making homophobic remarks. However I truly believe that it is really dismissive of the author’s hard work to not consider the context of the comments and most importantly to not question, does the character still feel like this at the end of the novel? And if the answer is no, then maybe the author has shown that character developing as an individual, freeing themselves of the beliefs that have been pushed on them their whole lives.
This book is definitely a coming of age story, as Gaia goes on a journey physically and metaphorically, searching for answers about her mother, what she wants from life and how she views herself and women at large. She is trying to navigate her way in an overbearingly patriarchal society, were she is abused and dismissed repeatedly, it would of been a miracle and highly unrealistic if she survived this kind of upbringing without being heavily influenced. It was so beautiful to see her slowly questioning things as she ventured out on her own, encountering women that her father would have heavily frowned upon, such as Oliver’s mother, Eleanor, and the Sea Witch. I loved everything that the author made Ceto, the Sea Witch stand for, she was unapologetically powerful, did not adhere to others beauty standards and she isn’t evil, although to a man like The Sea King, who thinks women should be seen and not heard, I guess she is.
I think that the author handled the famous unrequited love situation with the human boy, in this case Oliver, very well! As a reader, I was initially taken in by him, like Gaia was and was equally disappointed, when the more unpleasant parts of him began to surface. I absolutely hated the way that he treated his mother and was so impressed with how O’Neill initially made it look like his outbursts towards her were solely because of his concern for Gaia. But as the novel progressed it was clear how much of a petulant child he was. It was really intriguing that the ‘prince charming’ was the one who fell short of expectations in the end, as they are normally portrayed in fairy tales as perfect.
I’m aware that people have argued that every man, bar one, was portrayed as somewhat of a tyrant. Whilst I agree that most men in the book were vile, I believe that this wasn’t done in a ‘men are the enemy’ way, but rather in order to show Gaia the similarities between her male oppressors in the Sea Kingdom and those on land. Without seeing a version of her situation reflected in strangers, she may have never continued to question who she was and how women are treated spanning land and sea.
I would definitely recommend this book, as I thoroughly enjoyed it, there was never a time when I was bored, It held my attention all the way through. It’s my favourite mermaid book that I’ve read, and despite it’s beautiful cover it contained some ugly truths of oppression, prejudice and longing, it was captivating and presented some very important issues through its feminist lens. I’m keen to get my hands on more of this author’s work as I have fallen in love with her storytelling, I couldn’t quite give a full five stars as I wasn’t completely happy with the ending, but overall it was fantastic.
I didn’t expect this book to be quite so dark and I was pleasantly surprised at just how far the author went, in order to bring out some of the overlooked, gruesome elements of The Little Mermaid. Although I don’t fully recall everything that happened in the original tale, I know enough to appreciate that the author highlighted in a very poignant, feminist way some of the more disturbing aspects of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale.
One of the most horrific parts is when the Sea Witch tells Gaia what she will have to sacrifice and endure, if she chooses to follow the human boy into his world. The proposition is just the same as in The Little Mermaid, but it is made very clear through O’Neill’s emotive, haunting language just how barbaric this exchange would be. And the feminist spin is really evident here, as Gaia would essentially be mutilating her body and sacrificing her voice for a man. What is even more troubling is that in the consideration of the deal, Gaia tries to reason with herself that her looks and her body is all she would need to make a man fall in love her, as that is what women are spoon fed in her underwater kingdom.
The writing was so powerful, it wasn’t flowery and poetic, but brutal and honest, exactly what this dark story required. I personally think that the feminist take was done very well and can’t really understand why people believe that this is a case of false advertising. Some have criticised the character of Gaia, stating that she says and does things that don’t reflect feminism, such as remarking on the Sea Witch’s weight and making homophobic remarks. However I truly believe that it is really dismissive of the author’s hard work to not consider the context of the comments and most importantly to not question, does the character still feel like this at the end of the novel? And if the answer is no, then maybe the author has shown that character developing as an individual, freeing themselves of the beliefs that have been pushed on them their whole lives.
This book is definitely a coming of age story, as Gaia goes on a journey physically and metaphorically, searching for answers about her mother, what she wants from life and how she views herself and women at large. She is trying to navigate her way in an overbearingly patriarchal society, were she is abused and dismissed repeatedly, it would of been a miracle and highly unrealistic if she survived this kind of upbringing without being heavily influenced. It was so beautiful to see her slowly questioning things as she ventured out on her own, encountering women that her father would have heavily frowned upon, such as Oliver’s mother, Eleanor, and the Sea Witch. I loved everything that the author made Ceto, the Sea Witch stand for, she was unapologetically powerful, did not adhere to others beauty standards and she isn’t evil, although to a man like The Sea King, who thinks women should be seen and not heard, I guess she is.
I think that the author handled the famous unrequited love situation with the human boy, in this case Oliver, very well! As a reader, I was initially taken in by him, like Gaia was and was equally disappointed, when the more unpleasant parts of him began to surface. I absolutely hated the way that he treated his mother and was so impressed with how O’Neill initially made it look like his outbursts towards her were solely because of his concern for Gaia. But as the novel progressed it was clear how much of a petulant child he was. It was really intriguing that the ‘prince charming’ was the one who fell short of expectations in the end, as they are normally portrayed in fairy tales as perfect.
I’m aware that people have argued that every man, bar one, was portrayed as somewhat of a tyrant. Whilst I agree that most men in the book were vile, I believe that this wasn’t done in a ‘men are the enemy’ way, but rather in order to show Gaia the similarities between her male oppressors in the Sea Kingdom and those on land. Without seeing a version of her situation reflected in strangers, she may have never continued to question who she was and how women are treated spanning land and sea.
I would definitely recommend this book, as I thoroughly enjoyed it, there was never a time when I was bored, It held my attention all the way through. It’s my favourite mermaid book that I’ve read, and despite it’s beautiful cover it contained some ugly truths of oppression, prejudice and longing, it was captivating and presented some very important issues through its feminist lens. I’m keen to get my hands on more of this author’s work as I have fallen in love with her storytelling, I couldn’t quite give a full five stars as I wasn’t completely happy with the ending, but overall it was fantastic.