I probably should have reread ElCicco’s review before I started this novel since I unfortunately interpreted the word “reimagining” loosely, and was a bit disappointed with some of the topics the novel didn’t explore. However, if I had read the review again, I would have known that this is a fairly loyal retelling as far as the scope of the story goes. Basically, O’Neill did such a great job of building the kingdom under the sea that I wanted to spend more time there, get […]
A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle
The Surface Breaks: A Reimagining of The Little Mermaid is a wonderful feminist take on the popular fairy tale. Louise O’Neill stays very close to Hans Christian Anderson’s original classic story (as opposed to the Disney version), but gives her little mermaid (Gaia/Muirgen) a much darker back story and provides a fuller description of the world that exists under the sea. Little mermaid Gaia has grown up under a misogynistic patriarchal system, where women are valued for their beauty alone. Gaia and her five sisters […]