Book Review: Merrow by Louise Cooper (2005)
Three teenagers; Robyn, Jay and Kieran fail to save a girl from drowning on the Cornish Coast. Kieran starts seeing her everywhere even though he knows she's dead. He believes he is being haunted and becomes increasingly distant and angry towards his girlfriend and best mate. Robyn thinks that the girl might be the Merrow of Cornish legend.
This is a wonderful coming of age YA novel that perfectly captures the elusive nature of the merrow. We never find out one way or the other, nor by the end do we really care, she is a cypher there to help explore the emotions and relationships of the three main characters.
Mermaid enthusiasts are going to be disappointed, this is no H20 or Aquamarine with a fish tailed protagonist, but a far darker story with a somewhat open, bitter ending. I was absolutely hooked by the mystery and thought the punchy writing kept a cracking pace.
Verdict 6.5/10
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