Sea Hearts

'Can you do that?' Able asked. 'Why would I? People are uneasy enough with me - if I start bringing up sea-wives, they'll take against me good and proper.' 'It could be secret.' 'Could it?'" On remote Rollrock Island, the sea-witch Misskaella knows how to draw a girl from the heart of a seal, how to lure the enchanting beauty out of the beast. And, for a price, any man might buy himself a sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, loving eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment. With devastatingly beautiful prose, four-time World Fantasy Award winner Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire and despair, heartache and human weakness, and the unforeseen consequences of all-consuming love. ( )

I'm not sure what I think of The Brides of Rollrock Island (apparently also titled Sea Hearts, which I think I might prefer as a title). It's an elaboration of the old selkie legends, except instead of laying responsibility for taking and hiding the seals' coats on the man who does so, it really lies on the witch-woman who brings the sea-brides up for spite. The redeeming part of it is what the sea-brides' sons do, when they realise what has to be done, and that part is rather beautiful. But you could just long for a male character with a bit more colour to him, a bit more spine, a bit of moral fortitude. And maybe for the sea-brides to be a bit less spineless! Which is possibly unfair, since they're often described as being what I'd consider deeply depressed, and it's not exactly easy to have a spine when that's what's weighing you down. But still.

It's well written, I think, but for me it was a chilly and sad tale, not so much one of love but of weakness and spite. ( )

Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan has been nominated for all the awards (Ditmar, Aurealis x 2, Stella...) and, reading it, it's easy to see why; the writing is lovely and the story is thoughtful. The blurb gives an idea of what it's about:

On remote Rollrock Island, the sea-witch Misskaella discovers she can draw a girl from the heart of a seal. So, for a price, any man might buy himself a bride; an irresistibly enchanting sea-wife. But what cost will be borne by the people of Rollrock - the men, the women, the children - once Misskaella sets her heart on doing such a thing?

But this doesn't get to the heard of the story. Sea Hearts is told in several sections from the points of view of different characters. Is spans several generations of Rollrock residents, and one lifetime (Misskaella's). There's a lot to discuss in this novel and I fear my review won't really do it justice.

Misskaella is one of the two characters we spend the most time with. Growing up as a social outcast, mostly because of her dumpiness and strange affinity with seals, Misskaella discovers there's more to her abilities than that. Upon discovering that she can turn seals into beautiful (and docile) women, she sees an opportunity to make the town respect her (and pay her), even if they don't like her. The rest of the novel deals with various ramifications of that decision.

It's not just that a man can pay to get a beautiful wife and prevent her from leaving him by hiding her seal skin, the men are also enchanted by their seal wives, despite previous relationships. The tensions this inevitably causes with the human women of Rollrock, leads to an unusual dynamic on the island. The strength of Lanagan's story telling method in this novel is that it allows us to watch Rollrock change and more and more men take sea wives. And then what happens when the seal wives have been trapped on land too long.

Sea Hearts is a thoughtful read rather than a fast-paced adventure. It is marketed as YA, but aside from having mostly young point of view characters, I wouldn't say it deals with uniquely teenage problems; it's a story for readers of all ages. I highly recommend Sea Hearts to all fantasy fans.

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. ( )

I don't get it, and it's due back at the library. We're calling this one a lose-lose.

This book explores an aspect of human relationships that I'd rather not delve into, the hunger a man can feel for a compliant, nubile girl. The seal-brides of Rollrock are chillingly childlike in their lack of agency, passive and plaintive and wishing for the sea. The writing is beautiful, chronicling each fissure in the bleak little village. Magic as horror, a legacy of heartbreak and otherness in the bloodlines of the village.

I had to force myself to finish this book, but I am glad that I did. Lanagan doesn't flinch from the horror of her seal-brides, the petty selfishness of enthrallment and love, but it is just that longevity that carries things through to the next generation. Those sons that grow up under the shadow of their sad mothers, the daughters lost to the sea. I could not figure out if Lanagan gives her mythology a loose genetics, where seal mothers impart wildness to their daughters with their X chromosome but the fathers' Y keeps their sons anchored to the shore, or if it is the jealous witch that casts all daughters to the ocean, ensuring that each new generation of sons would visit her to buy a bride.

Full review to follow.

Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex, forced marriage and sex. ( )