Young Adult Fiction: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Welcome back to YA Fest! This week I will be talking about A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow. This is her first YA book, following 2018's Mem, a science fiction novel that explored the idea of memory and how we treat it. Now Morrow is tackling sisterhood, monsters, privilege, and race.

The Situation: Tavia and Effie are not related by blood, but they might as well be. Both are juniors at Beckett High School in Portland, Oregon, both live with Tavia's parents, and both know American Sign Language, though they hear and speak just fine. Effie learned it as part of her role at the Renaissance Faire where she plays as a mermaid, and being underwater for long periods of time is part of the job, and sign language is her way of communicating. While Effie learned it for when she cannot speak, Tavia learned it for when she musn't. Being a siren in hiding, Tavia has to keep her voice in check, and when she fears that her powers will come out if she opens her mouth, Effie is there to sign and interpret for her, helping to keep her secret safe. Sirens are feared and criminalized. They are also exclusively black women. Tavia and her family have already had to move once after an incident in her hometown, and she is not interested in living that nightmare again.

The Problem: Despite their attempts to outrun their pasts, and who they truly are, strange events around Portland keep threatening both Tavia and Effie. If it isn't Tavia's siren voice that keeps threatening to come out, then it is Effie and her history of blackouts and being plagued by sprites. When Tavia uses her power at the worst possible time, things go from tense to dangerous, but she is not sure she wants to stay quiet forever. Tavia knows who she is and is tired of hiding it. Effie would love to know the source of her problems, but those with answers are refusing to speak up, even as her daily life becomes more chaotic. The two girls are determined to protect each other, while it seems like everyone else - including their own family, as well as other black women - is intent on either outing them or controlling them, or both.  

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel set in and around Portland, Oregon, with some scenes taking place in Vancouver. Sisterhood is a powerful theme here, showing that two women do not need to be blood related to look out for each other, protect each other, and love each other as if they were family. Tavia and Effie did not grow up together, but they cannot imagine life apart. And then there are sirens, of which Tavia is one, who can use their voice to influence others. This is enough to make them feared and criminalized, but it does not help that all sirens are black women. The starting point of the book involves a murder trial that begins to receive national attention only after the victim is said to be a siren. But sirens are not the only mythical creature in this book: there are also sprites, elokos, and the gargoyle that pretty much lives on top of Tavia and Effie's house. It seems the only one of these creatures that people are not wary of is elokos, who are actually quite charming and draw people to them, something they often use for their advantage. They are fantastic creatures inserted into a fairly ordinary world, and the ordinary humans do not know how to handle them.  

My Verdict: First off, I feel like I was promised mermaids with this book, but be warned, there are no actual mermaids. Effie plays one at the Renaissance Faire, and she can swim incredibly well, but she is not a real mermaid. So there's that. At the beginning of the book, it felt like too much was being thrown at the reader way too fast, and while these magical creatures were being introduced, all of the fun and wonder was absent. Eventually things began to come together, but it was still difficult for me to follow what these girls were going through until a little after the middle of the book. With Tavia being constantly under the threat of being found out, and the injustices that occurred against sirens, the tension was there, but not until the narrative began to focus more on Effie did I become really interested. The introduction of the mythical creatures made for a fascinating storyline, but often they confused things or seemed to interrupt the momentum. 

Favorite Moment: There is a moment, that I am not quite sure I can pinpoint, when the focus of the story begins to shift away from being mostly about Tavia to being mostly about Effie. It may be when the reader begins to learn why the gargoyle has decided to perch on their roof.

Favorite Character: Tavia's mother does not say much throughout the story, but when she does, it is quiet but powerful.

Recommended Reading: I recommend The Sea of Ink and Gold series by Traci Chee. This is one of those fantasy series that I wish received more attention.