Ponder: The House in the Cerulean Sea

The phrase "So many books, so little time" (originally attributed to Frank Zappa) often subliminally resides in my mind when I select a book to read. So "why this book?" I asked myself. None of the following reasons guaranteed I was going to like The House in the Cerulean Sea ©2020 by TJ Klune, but I did like it, and very much so.

I thought I might like this book because...

1. My experience with a previous book by the same author, Under the Whispering Door, was very positive. I recently completed, enjoyed, and reviewed it in my post for 12/7/21
2. I was drawn in and mesmerized by the cover art by Red Nose Studio. These artists also created the cover for Under the Whispering Door and the artwork followed the story in great detail. Yes, I know you cannot judge a book by its cover – not always, but sometimes, and in this case, yes. The artwork is a match for the story.
3. As a quilter, I loved the reference to the color Cerulean
4. Perhaps I do enjoy the diversion provided by a fantasy author based on my recent experiences.

The story line of The House in the Cerulean Sea follows the investigations of a caseworker, Linus Baker, from DICOMY, Department In Charge Of Magical Youth, as he audits the practices of a home on an island that houses and cares for six children endowed with magical powers. Magical children can be dangerous as they grow and learn to control their powers – or so the standard logic of the times teaches. Common practice is to segregate them. But children, magical or not, still need love and understanding and this book abounds in that precept. The master of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus, is fiercely defensive of the children and deeply devoted to providing for their well-being and happiness. I ponder if DICOMY is that different from dichotomy.

The six children, are off beat with childlike logic; the statements they utter and the conversations they have are delightfully shocking and humorous. Here is a bit of a glimpse at some of these magical children. One child is a talkative female gnome with a silky beard who loves to garden and threatens to bury anyone whose opinion differs from hers. One child's heart's desire is to become a bellhop and practices carrying suitcases and doing laundry. One child is a wyvern who collects buttons and shards of broken records and hides his stash under the couch. 

While Linus struggles to remain objective as he observes the children and the workings of the household he cannot help but being drawn in to the antics and quirkiness of the children. He fights to maintain distance as he writes and submits his weekly reports to DICOMY. The bureaucracy of DICOMY calls to mind the posturing in the 1980 movie Nine to Five and the absurdity noted in the Dilbert comic strip. The teaching and learning of the children certainly brought to my mind the halls of Hogwarts from Harry Potter fame. I loved this heartwarming, humorous book and recommend it as an escape-type, fun, fantasy read that will delight. In the book Wonder ©2012 by R. J. Palacio, reviewed in 12/3/17 post, the teacher writes a precept on the board which reads “If you have a choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." I am being right and kind when I give this book five stars.

★★★★★ Great! Read it!