A Magic Deep and Drowning

“The Little Mermaid” gets a new look in this enchanting gender-bent retelling from Fox (The Book of Thorns). In 1650, Clara van Wieren lives with her cold, abusive parents in the Dutch Republic, haunted by the memory of her childhood best friend, who drowned in the local canal when they were young. Eager for any change from her dull daily routine, Clara jumps at the chance to see a whale that’s beached itself nearby. Once there, however, she recognizes it as an ill omen and flees back to her home. Soon thereafter, Clara receives a marriage proposal from a well-to-do merchant offering her the escape from home she’s been longing for. In the lead-up to the wedding, however, she finds she can’t stop thinking about Maurits de Vis, the mysterious young man who has recently replaced her family’s regular fish delivery boy. Clara and Maurits grow closer—but Maurits has secrets that tie him to the Old Ones, powerful forces beneath the sea that are waiting to collect on a bargain made with humans long ago. Fox pulls from both Hans Christian Andersen’s original and Frisian folktales while grounding the plot in historical detail. Add in rich mythology and a sweet, chaste romance between the leads, and this is a winner. (June)