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From both the setting and tone of this novel, I was instantly reminded of a certain character from Harry Potter, namely Moaning Myrtle. That’s how the writing sounds like. At certain points, it was exceptional, and at other points, it felt … I don’t know if she did that on purpose. 

There are some points that I liked, particularly on hyphenated-identity, which, by the way, I’ve to thank my university-level readings and exposure for – because they made me dive deeper into something many of us take for granted – identity. I just didn’t like how the protagonist sometimes positions her mother though.

Both unsurprising but good to know are how there are PINYINS without the tone marks for Chinese characters – for those who grew up in an Overseas Chinese household with barely any knowledge about the Chinese language, especially the Chinese characters because for some in the Overseas Chinese household, only the spoken form matters, and for others, Spoken Standard Chinese isn’t even a part of that household because they grew up speaking other tongues.

Notably, I liked how Song references different kinds of mermaids that multigenerational readers can relate to, even if the story delves deeper into more current lingo and speak, which will likely appeal to the younger generation more.  Besides, if you like a fair dose of magic realism, where the lines between fantasy and reality are blurred, this might be your in your next book haul.

The only reason I picked up the ebook version of this novel is because I wanted to jump into something different. Yes, for that, Song has achieved well, in my opinion. It’s just that perhaps, I wasn’t expecting that much disgust – from how Song wrote about the topics and scenes she picked to include in the book. Perhaps, she could have also chosen to another part of China, as to where the protagonist’s father originated from.

Ah well, it’s a work of fiction, after all.