Friday, December 12, 2014

Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet

Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet

Deb and Chip are honeymooning in the British Virgin Islands when they discover mermaids on a snorkeling trip.  What follows is a scarily realistic depiction of what may actually happen if mermaids were found to be real: denial, hate groups, exploitation by tourism, etc.  Then things get really weird.

This is a good choice on audio because the narrator captures Deb.  She is a narcissistic, shallow woman, or so we are led to believe, but there is more to her.  For the first disc or two you will be listening to her wedding and honeymoon preparations and you will doubt her depth as a character and her likability.  It was amusing listening to her ponder her life and honeymoon choices so I continued to listen.  Then, early in their honeymoon, Chip and Deb find the mermaids and she becomes more dimensional, but still a little odd.  In fact, everyone is odd, but when all gets really weird, it all makes sudden sense.  Definitely one of the more left field endings I’ve ever read.  But for all that it still fit. 

How would the world react to mermaids?  I’m sure leaving them in peace would never be in the cards.