The Sirens - Emilia Hart - Teds Woodworking Review

Summary: A story of sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine.

2019: Lucy awakens in her ex-lover’s room in the middle of the night with her hands around his throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister’s house on the coast of New South Wales hoping Jess can help explain the vivid dreams that preceded the attack—but her sister is missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she starts to unearth strange rumours about Jess’s town—tales of numerous missing men, spread over decades. A baby abandoned in a sea-swept cave. Whispers of women’s voices on the waves. All the while, her dreams start to feel closer than ever.

1800: Mary and Eliza are torn from their loving home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship heading for Australia. As the boat takes them farther and farther away from all they know, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies.

A breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea. (Summary and pic from goodreads.com)

My Review: As I’m sure you’ve figured out from the summary, this book is actually two stories in one. Yes, you can tell they’re connected, and yes, in the end it all makes sense, but for awhile it felt a little disconnected, and it was like reading two books about the same topic at the same time. I didn’t mind this, I think it added to the richness of the story and in the end it all worked out (but probably not how you expect it to).

This book is about two sets of sisters, one in the past, and one in the present. Right away Hart allows these sisters to have flaws, which I like. It’s hard to connect to a character who feels so inauthentic as to not have any flaws, so it’s nice that the characters in this book seem more real. They do have some pretty big issues, and they have some emotional issues going on as well. This book spends a lot of time uncovering layers of these women, and the more we learn the more the tapestry of the story comes together. I enjoyed Hart’s Weyward, and The Sirens further convinces me that Hart is a great storyteller with lots of unique, fun stories to tell.

The story of The Sirens is an interesting one. I always like a story with a good dose of magical realism, and this has just the right amount to feel tingly and magical and because it takes place in the ocean, it feels even more possible. The ocean is deep and vast and mostly unconquered, and we don’t really know what’s down there in the deep. Maybe there really are sirens, and maybe we’re just fooling ourselves that we know for sure that they don’t exist.

There are some hard topics addressed in this book–abusive relationships, some with adults and underaged victims; drug use, physical disability, and mental health issues. I appreciate when a book is able to deal with issues that are difficult. Having a story that can make the reader feel seen can lead to people feeling less alone, more understood, and just seen. The human experience is complex, and I appreciate literature that is willing to explore some of the deeper, harder parts of it.

And also…sirens. I do love a good mythical creature, and although we read a lot about mermaids, sirens are a fun variation to read and think about.

If you enjoy magical realism, especially ones with female protagonists, and books that aren’t afraid to err on the dark side, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

My Rating: 4 Stars

For the sensitive reader: There is language, some discussion of sex, and abuse.

READING FOR SANITY BOOK REVIEWS

Author: admin

Leave a Reply Cancel reply