Merrow by Ananda Braxton-Smith (review)

Stories have followed Neen around for as long as she can remember. It seems as though everyone in her little coastal town has an opinion on what caused her father’s drowning and her mother’s disappearance the following year, and all their tales involve merrows, selkies, and love gone awry. Neen’s aunt Ushag says it’s all nonsense, but Neen isn’t so sure; she feels most at ease in the water, and when she’s away from it she longs for it the way she longs for her mother. Then there are the rough scales that often appear on her arms, scales that look an awful lot like fish scales and convince Neen that she may in fact be otherworldly. Neen’s voice is strong and captivating, pulling readers into a swirl of legends and rumors set against a village fighting to keep its pagan identity as Christianity moves in. Neen’s relationship with her aunt is rawly emotional and complicated, and it becomes even more so as Neen discovers secret after secret regarding her mother’s disappearance. Ultimately, though, events lead Neen to conclude that the supposed truth is often just an illusion of control through half-told stories, while reality is far harsher, lacking rhyme, reason, or explanation. Eerily haunting in plot and theme, this will please fans of Brooks’ Selkie Girl (BCCB 1/09).