A friend of mine said that The House in the Cerulean Sea was a hug in book form. And that is pretty much an accurate description of this sweet and comforting novel. It reads to me like a young adult story, and I’m not entirely sure why it’s not considered one. Of course, that doesn’t mean adults can’t enjoy it as well. However you’d choose to classify the book, it’s hard not to like it.  

The novel concerns Linus Baker, a lonely, awkward, put-upon bureaucrat, a caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Plucked out of obscurity by Extremely Upper Management, he’s sent on a secret assignment to visit an orphanage for a month-long investigation to determine just how dangerous these magical children, the master of the orphanage, and the magical island they live on, are to the rest of the world.  

Once he arrives–well, nothing here will be remotely surprising, just quirky, fantastical, and fun. The story is predictable and familiar (even if the specifics of the magical children aren’t–they’re rather delightful in their individualities). He hits some bumps in the road, but there’s beauty, sunshine, a found family, romance, secrets uncovered, silences broken, and all-around good feelings to be had. This is not to say the story is dull–this reader was engaged and rooting for the beleaguered Linus. It is absolutely refreshing to see same-sex love stories and middle-aged protagonists. The children (once you get to know them a bit) are charming (even if their back stories are a bit vague–this story could have taken some much darker and uglier turns). The ethos of acceptance of diversity, and the examples of speaking truth to power are lovely, and, honestly, good lessons for teenagers and adults alike.

Give a copy to any young person who doesn’t quite fit in, who is still searching for his or her or their people and place. Because sometimes, as Linus thought to himself at the end of this story, “you were able to choose the life you wanted. And if you were of the lucky sort, sometimes that life chose you back.”

HOW TO PURCHASE: AMAZON

NOVEL: The House in the Cerulean Sea

AUTHOR: TJ Klune

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2020

IMAGE

Book Cover – Macmillan Publishers