Review #28 - The Mermaid's Daughter by Ann Claycomb

Details:

Title: The Mermaid's Daughter

Author: Ann Claycomb

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

ISBN 13: 978-0062560681

Synopsis:

Kathleen has always been dramatic. She suffers from the bizarre malady of experiencing stabbing pain in her feet. On her sixteenth birthday, she woke screaming from the sensation that her tongue had been cut out. No doctor can find a medical explanation for her pain, and even the most powerful drugs have proven useless. Only the touch of seawater can ease her pain, and just temporarily at that.

Now Kathleen is a twenty-five-year-old opera student in Boston and shows immense promise as a soprano. Her girlfriend Harry, a mezzo in the same program, worries endlessly about Kathleen's phantom pain and obsession with the sea. Kathleen's mother and grandmother both committed suicide as young women, and Harry worries they suffered from the same symptoms. When Kathleen suffers yet another dangerous breakdown, Harry convinces Kathleen to visit her hometown in Ireland to learn more about her family history.

In Ireland, they discover that the mystery—and the tragedy—of Kathleen’s family history is far older and stranger than they could have imagined.  Kathleen’s fate seems sealed, and the only way out is a terrible choice between a mermaid’s two sirens—the sea, and her lover. But both choices mean death… 

Review:

I listened to this in audiobook format and the cast they got to read it worked really well together and made it an enjoyable listening experience. As a huge lifelong Little Mermaid fan I was excited by the premise of this book and I very much loved the two main characters. The story was interesting and I really enjoyed the music theme running throughout the book. The only thing I felt let it down was the ending. 

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars because while I enjoyed it for me the ending was lacking.