Reviewer Naseabai Jahangard is currently an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she is studying English, Applied Psychology, and Queer Studies. Often found at the beach or on a sunny patch of grass on campus, with her trademark set of colorful pens and lovingly worn notebook, she splits her time (a tad unevenly) between school work and her own writing projects.
Fairy tales have always been more than just stories. Fairy tales are cultural origin stories, ways of passing down knowledge, and opportunities for people to think about experiences outside of their singularly lived one. Despite moving away from stories recited orally around campfires, blogs and book clubs keep the tradition of bonding over stories alive. Stories have been proven to help people learn and empathize more effectively, and fairy tales are no exception.
Jade Song’s debut novel, Chlorine, hit the shelves of every major bookseller in March of 2023, soon after becoming an Alex Award winning novel, and for good reason. Chlorine contains all the key elements of a classic fairy tale: a young protagonist who faces obstacles related to the culture they live in and their own adolescence, a sinister undertone throughout the story, gory and gruesome moments, and an ending that is left somewhat open to interpretation. These familiar components, combined with Song’s modern and unique touches make this story both classic and something new altogether.
Chlorine, an almost inverted version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” follows a teen girl with a passion for swimming and obsession with mermaids, yearning to one day become one herself. According to Song, Chlorine “blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale” and is described as a fresh “perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies… a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming.”
Song’s protagonist has a hunger for the sea, and Andersen’s mermaid craves to be on land, yet both girls are actually very similar. They both have demanding families and struggle with doing what will make their loved ones happy versus what will make themselves happy. Ultimately, both protagonists choose to leave home, with varying results.
Chlorine is the type of novel where readers want to turn away from the gruesome descriptions and questionable decisions made by the protagonist, yet cannot help but turn the page in anticipation. The plot flows as smoothly as the protagonist treads water, there is never a dull moment.
While stories are so incredibly important for learning about other people’s experiences, an issue arises when there is only one type of story being told. Chlorine’s protagonist is unique and authentic, with a handful of (sometimes clashing) identities. She is a daughter to Chinese immigrants, a teenage girl figuring out her sexuality, a passionate athlete, and a receiver of day-to-day racism and misogyny. Chlorine is a beautifully crafted tale (or tail) with representation which embodies the fairy tale spirit of love, loss, and some gore.
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