4.25/5. Releases 4/9/2024.

Vibes: sapphic fairy tales, selkies, feminine rage, small magical towns by the sea

Heat Index: 2/10

As the village midwife, practical and prickly Jean lives a lonely existence--until the night she finds a young woman by the sea, hours from giving birth. Her name is Muirin, and after Jean helps her deliver a son, their connection seems natural. Less natural? Muirin's relationship with her odd, domineering husband. As Jean becomes convinced that Muirin is in danger, she hatches a plan to help her escape--not realizing that there is much more to her new love's presence than a bad marriage.

I love selkies--always have. They're very much a part of my childhood, which is why it's so frustrating to see them, very frequently, done wrong... And it's such a relief to see them done right. This is a lyrical fantasy romance rooted in history (think a nineteenth century fishing village) and folklore. It's queer--and not just in the sense that it's about two women falling in love--and longing is braided into the narrative.

Along with a heavy dose of rage against men who would trap and control women. Which. Is something I think a lot of us can relate to.

This is the kind of story that sucks you in, to the point that you can feel the sea salt, the stolen kisses and unraveling secrets. It's simple, but lovely--and I'd like to see more of its type.

Quick Takes:

--There's something delightfully whimsical and angsty all at once to Muirin and Jean's romance. Like, the framing is obviously angsty. They meet when Jean delivers Muirin's baby, so it's clear from the jump that Muirin is married to a man she doesn't want to be with. The novel doesn't shy away from subjects like domestic violence (though you see very little of it on the page), marital rape (though it's only alluded to), and homophobia.

Yet for all that, this isn't a story about suffering. It's ultimately a story about love--not just Muirin and Jean's though that's a gorgeous, sweet romance that feels like it's as much solace for Jean as it is for Muirin. it's also about the love between Jean and her found family, like the midwife who mentored her, and her friend who happens to be a gay fisherman. (The queer found family vibes are stroooong in this one.) It's also a story about reclaiming agency and throwing off oppression, and that is so deeply, deeply satisfying. "Satisfying" is literally how I would describe this narrative. Towards the end, I was just nodding along like "YES".

--Going back to the romance aspect... Yes, there's caretaking, there's solace found, there's catharsis. But there's also a lot of playfulness to it. Muirin is super flirty and openly interested in Jean. While Jean is understandably hesitant to engage at first, Muirin is just inherently endearing. You definitely get a bit of grumpy/sunshine here. Jean is never grumpy towards Muirin, but she's so guarded and frosty towards the world in general (with good reason) and Muirin is just so bright and charismatic and desperate to connect with her on every level.

And there is such a deep... womanliness to this romance. Like, this is obviously a book about two women falling in love. But it goes into the societal roles of women in this book's world. The midwife, the wife, the initial meet cute being a labor scene. There's a very real depiction of the kind of husband who is inherently afraid of his wife just like--making friends with another woman. Because even if Jean and Muirin weren't falling in love, Jean would represent an alternate life, options and a path beyond him.

--Another aspect I found immensely compelling was the midwifery of it all. You don't ever get the sense that there's anything twee about birth, but it's also not a ridiculously melodramatic horror show. It's a fact of life, and Jean's good at her job, and she treats it like a job. She cares, but she's also as practical as ever. Her practicality--and the way it melts away as she falls in love with Muirin, and really as soon as she becomes emotionally invested in her--is so endearing.

--Obviously, a baby is born almost immediately in this novel. Sutherland keeps the baby in it enough for him to be cute, but not so much that he takes away from the story. He adds to the stakes--he is not the only part of the stakes. What is happening to Muirin isn't just important because she has a baby. The baby is just another person impacted by what is happening to her.

--The selkie lore is great. One scene in particular towards the end had me clutching my face. it was just so beautifully done. Apparently, this all kicked off with an ancient Tumblr post I'm pretty sure I saw back in the day? Huh! Who knew? Yet another thing Tumblr has contributed to society. I do kind of wish that the lore side of the story had unfurled a little faster, but I get why it played out the way it did.

The Sex:

There is sex; it is entirely closed door. I could've done with some stuff on the page (always) but I didn't feel robbed.

At last, those crying out for a lesbian selkie story have found their hero. Read on any day, but especially a day when it's storming outside, or you're close to the sea, or both. Keep your eye out for mysterious seals who may or may not be beautiful women in disguise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.