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

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0

 V.E. Schwab described The House in the Cerulean Sea as “being wrapped in a big gay blanket” and that is exactly what this is. It's comforting and warm, something you'd snuggle into when your soul is weary of the world and your heart jaded by the people in it. It feels like a gentle hug from an old friend or a hot chocolate on a cold rainy day. In some ways, it also feels like a Studio Ghibli film — whimsical and cheeky but also profound and incredibly thought-provoking. 

The story follows Linus, a forty-year-old caseworker at the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. He evaluates orphanages with magical children and makes sure they are up to standard. Though he tends to keep his head down, he prides himself for his detailed case reports and believes that his objective eye would help the children in places he’s assigned to (or so he thinks). He is a creature of habit and is perfectly content with staying in his own bubble and living his orderly yet mundane routine, though he can’t help but think of something beyond gray walls and neat desks — the sight of vibrant cerulean seas. Eventually, he does get the chance to see them, not in the faded picture of his mousepad, but in real life. 

One day, Extremely Upper Management gives Linus a top secret assignment and whisks him away to Marsyas Island, where the local orphanage is said to house the most dangerous magical children in the country. However, throughout the course of his stay, he begins to see that the children and Arthur, the unorthodox master of the orphanage, are much more than their case files. They are human, just like him. They should not be feared or hated; rather, they should be treated with kindness and compassion, so that they too can live, dream, and flourish just like any other person. Thus, as he spends more time with the people in Marsyas, he starts to question the bubble he’s lived in, the beliefs he held, the prejudices that colored his perspective, and the systems enforced by the institution he works for. 

More than that, Linus slowly realizes that this house in the cerulean sea is not at all like the photo in his mousepad. Somehow, it is better. Though he had a job, food, and a roof over his head, the life he led before had a lonely, aching emptiness that he had long resigned himself to believing as his sole constant companion. Even if he did try to fill that void in him, society would deem him too fat and old for anything good to come out of it. I love how the book challenged that narrative and presented us with a story wherein someone like Linus does have a chance at love and happiness and that it is never too late to turn one’s life around to reach for them.

I know some people think the ending is too optimistic. Indeed, reality is often darker and more cruel than we could ever imagine, and stories that stay true to that have their place. However, I also think it’s important to have stories like The House in the Cerulean Sea that portray the world both as it is and as it should be. It shows us that there will always be Linuses, Arthurs, and hopeful tales of finding love and family in the most unexpected of places at the most unexpected of times.

P.S. TJ Klune, I am begging you. Please write a sequel. I've grown too fond of these characters. I need more of them please. Pretty please? 
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