GUEST WRITER KAYLEE MILLER RECOMMENDS THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA BY T.J. KLUNE
A home filled with joy and laughter, a haven from the prejudices of the outside world while overlooking the crashing waves of a cerulean sea. This is the portrait T.J Klune paints in his wonderfully cozy fantasy novel, “The House in The Cerulean Sea.” It is a novel completely uninterested in treading in the same tropes and conventions that permeate the fantasy genre. Instead, T. J Klune forges his own path, one built on endearing characters and themes of self-acceptance and found family.
The novel follows a forty-year-old Linus Baker, who is a caseworker for the department in charge of magical youth (Dicomy) in charge of observing and reviewing orphanages. Linus does his job with the utmost care, he never steps out of line and, most importantly, he never becomes too attached to the children of the homes he visits, all in the name of the children’s wellbeing, of course. The upper management of Dicomy takes notice of this, and send Linus to a small island observing the orphanage of very mysterious Arthur Parnassus. Linus agrees, believing this is an orphanage to be no different than all the others he has visited, but quickly finds that to be untrue. After all it is not every day, he meets the anti-Christ. But as Linus continues to observe Arthur’s orphanage, he begins to view not only the children but Arthur himself as more than what his files label them.
The House in the Cerulean Sea weaves together themes of self-acceptance, and not letting others define who you are. With its humorous style of writing and wholesome relationships, it is an incredibly cozy novel that engages the reader.
The novel does tackle trauma and prejudices with authenticity that will leave readers looking at the systems around them in a completely different way. So, readers searching for a novel that is both deep and impactful while still being comforting, the house in the Cerulean Sea is not the book you want, but instead, the book you need.
Kaylee Miller is in the 10th grade attending Leo Hayes Highschool. Kaylee enjoys doing anything creative, from baking to cross stitching though she has a clear preference for writing. If she cannot be found doing that, you will most likely find Kaylee curling up with a worn-out fantasy novel and her cat.