From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club…

The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)

T.J. Klune

Start date: January 1, 2024

Finish date: January 31, 2024

Discussion: MODERN / POPULAR READS

Why we're reading this: January 2024 - Catch-Up Selection
Group Modern/Popular Read - Sept 2021
[close] January 2024 - Catch-Up Selection
Group Modern/Popular Read - Sept 2021

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MODERN / POPULAR READS

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What Members Thought

Apr 08, 2022 Amber Lea rated it did not like it

Shelves: bookclub, fiction

At first I thought this book was kind of charming. But about a fourth of the way in it started to feel really heavy-handed. Linus is straw-man level dumb about issues the book wants to pontificate about, and the other characters condescend to him about how out of touch he is and it’s all painfully smug. Like he’d somehow gone through his entire life without having his ideas challenged and then the second they are he sees the error of his ways and changes. This is a guy who reads rule books for f At first I thought this book was kind of charming. But about a fourth of the way in it started to feel really heavy-handed. Linus is straw-man level dumb about issues the book wants to pontificate about, and the other characters condescend to him about how out of touch he is and it’s all painfully smug. Like he’d somehow gone through his entire life without having his ideas challenged and then the second they are he sees the error of his ways and changes. This is a guy who reads rule books for fun. He seemed to have a pretty strong world view that just dissolved immediately. So he felt like a vessel for us as readers to fantasize about changing someone’s mind just by talking down to them because they’re so dumb it never occurred to them to think differently. To me, it doesn’t feel like we’re meant to identify with the protagonist as much as we’re meant to identify with Mr. Parnassus, Ms. Chapelwhite and other characters who look down their noses at Linus until he gets with the program. (Not that Linus isn't somewhat relatable.)

It’s like instead of being driven by characters or plot, the story is driven by the author trying to make points. That the audience already agrees with.

It was also giving me whiplash because one minute I legitimately feel like I’m reading a story written for children because it’s so simplistic and whimsical and then next minute the characters are discussing Camus and philosophy. Also there’s a six year old who has lots of thoughts and feelings about vinyl. Condescending tones, philosophy, and pretentious hobbies. Mmm. I feel like this book hit on me at a party in college.

But while I was reading I kept trying to figure out…what real-world thing is this mirroring? I could tell it was based on something because it was getting oddly specific about certain preachy things but I wasn’t able to make the connection and it was driving me crazy. So halfway through I looked it up. It’s the Sixties Scoop, where indigenous kids in Canada were taken from their parents by the government and murdered. I’m not at all an expert on that situation but the fact that it’s based on that feels so gross. It’s not done in a way that feels respectful to those children.

ALSO. One of the kids is literally Satan. LITERALLY SATAN. And he’s like, “I love murder, uwu. Death is my fav. Fire and brimstone lol.” And Linus spends the book being like, “How dare you not like Satan. He’s so cuddly and adorable, and he likes me so he’s good. YOU’RE ALL BIGOTS if you don’t love him and think he’s the cutest. He would never hurt a fly!” Toward the end Linus is a dick to everybody because he can see the good in ACTUAL SATAN but not in the people who are afraid of Satan or think he’s bad. Those people are garbage and deserve scorn.

Seriously, this feels like a joke. But it’s totally genuine. I feel like there should be a book two where Lucy flays Linus and he’s like, “Omg, I didn’t see this coming. Lucy how could you?”

And like hello. SATAN is a stand in for indigenous children in this situation. Children who were actually innocent! How fucked up is that?

I’m an atheist so I’m not offended on a moral level I’m just like…my brain hurts. This feels like satire of people who are obsessed with acting like nothing matters more than empathy for the underdog and hating on normies who just don’t get it. If this is your mindset you can easily be manipulated by someone with bad intentions. Like...Satan. Isn't that Satan's whole thing? I feel like T.J. Klune is punking everyone.

Anyway, I can forgive you if all those stars are for my boy Chauncey. ...more

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Dec 13, 2024 Duygu rated it really liked it

This is a guide for humanity to treat others kindly wrapped up in a cozy book disguise. I would recommend this to parents who are looking for a read-along with their children.

However, do note that it is very gay-friendly but done subtly and not the type to bash you over the head with it.

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Aug 11, 2022 Carrie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Very sweet, but I found it almost too calculated. The kids from the orphanage were so carefully designed to be charming, the bumbling, good natured protagonist was very clearly headed for a CHANGE OF HEART, the goodies were good and the baddies were bad...
Overall it was a nice story with a modern fairytale kind of vibe, but I didn't find it quite as magical as it seems a lot of other people did. ...more

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Aug 28, 2022 Djrmel rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, lgbt, fiction

Great world building and most of the characters had depth. The bad guys of the story were too stereotypical and also didn’t provide any real challenge for the protagonists. I’m actually 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up because there were some risks taken in the storytelling (Lucy, for one) and for the most part they paid off successfully.

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