The Mermaid of Brooklyn
A Novel
-
- $16.99
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
Hailed by The Washington Post as “tantalizing” and “mesmerizing,” The Mermaid of Brooklyn is a whip-smart, heartfelt exploration of what happens when modern day motherhood meets with a little touch of magic.
Sometimes all you need in life is a fabulous pair of shoes—and a little help from a mermaid
Formerly an up-and-coming magazine editor, Jenny Lipkin is now your average, stretched-too-thin Brooklyn mom, tackling the challenges of raising two children in a cramped Park Slope walk-up. All she really wants is to survive the sweltering New York summer with a shred of sanity intact. But when her husband, Harry, vanishes one evening, Jenny reaches her breaking point. And in a moment of despair, a split-second decision changes her life forever.
Pulled from the brink by an unexpected ally, Jenny is forced to rethink her ideas about success, motherhood, romance, and relationships. But confronting her inner demons is no easy task…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As this whimsical modern-day fable from Shearn (How Far is the Ocean From Here) begins, Jenny Lipkin is living in a small apartment in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., and juggling two children and a husband, Harry, addicted to gambling. One day, Harry tells her that he's going out for cigarettes and never returns. Distraught, Jenny considers suicide, only to accidentally fall off the Brooklyn Bridge instead. While underwater, she meets a Russian mermaid, or rusalka, who saves her life but also possesses her. Fired with purpose by the mythical creature, Jenny begins a new career as a seamstress and pursues the stay-at-home dad next door. When Harry returns, however, Jenny must decide for herself who she really wants to be. There's no doubt that Shearn is gifted, crafting quirky and charming prose, as well as a protagonist who's articulately and believably ambivalent about motherhood. The mermaid, however, comes across as a needlessly fantastic overlay on a realistic story, while Harry's reappearance rings false. Shearn deftly paints her novel's familiar (at least to New Yorkers) setting, but she seems less certain of what to do with her plot.
