The Lake Michigan Mermaid: A Tale in Poems by Anne-Marie Oomen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Having lived around Lake Michigan for about 15 years now, it’s had an impact on my life, to say the least. If you’ve ever been to the Michigan-side of the lake, you know that there’s nothing better than sitting on a dune overlooking the lake and just relaxing and letting thoughts bubble up. Originally from California, I didn’t think there was another coast to compare, but Lake Michigan certainly has its own unique charm, plus it doesn’t have sharks. To the Michiganders I know, Lake Michigan is an integral part of their lives. Boat Season is an actual thing and when from open to the closing of boating season, they’re on or by the lake.
Two Michigan writers decided to take their love of mermaids and Lake Michigan and write a series of poems as if Lake Michigan had its own mermaid. Besides the infamous shipwrecks, Lake Michigan doesn’t have its own mythology, so a Lake Michigan mermaid is a first of her kind. Plus, besides Harry Potter, most people associate mermaids with salt-water.
Besides the mermaid, there’s a young girl who is the voice of the other poems and, together, the mermaid and the young girl explore what it means to belong somewhere.
The structure of the book, the alternating poems, was like listening to a conversation. The fluid narrative and lyrical verses made this an enjoyable and unique read.
You can’t miss the artwork either. The details on each illustration, spanning two pages, it almost feels like a graphic novel.