Book Review | Chlorine

Chlorine by Jade Song spins a raw and captivating story about a teenage competitive swimmer's pursuit to become a mermaid … at whatever the cost.

The writing is literary and introspective and depicts the literal blood, sweat, and tears that go into swimming while exploring queer yearning and mermaid myths across different cultures.
Back then, I was a girl, a body of water, a liminal state of being, a hybrid on the cusp of evolution.

Now, I am Ren Yu.
I am 人鱼.
I am person fish.
I am mermaid.
And so goes my tale of becoming. Are you ready?

However, as a result of the writing style, I did find this one to be a bit of a slow burn.

It might boil down to personal preference, but I wish there was more “symptoms” of Ren’s metamorphosis interwoven throughout the story. It’s not until the climax that we get grisly and nausea-inducing body horror along the lines of The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black or Tusk. That part was gross and fantastic in the best possible way!

I just wish we could have gotten more.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for providing with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : March 28, 2023

Publisher : William Morrow

IBSN : 9780063257603

Pages : 256

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