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A review by onesonicbite
Sailor Twain: Or: The Mermaid in the Hudson by Mark Siegel
5.0
My mother bought this book after listening to a podcast, and I was a little skeptical since I wasn’t a fan of Boxers & Saints (another recommendation from the same podcast series.) I wasn’t a big fan of the drawings, as I thought the people looked slightly too borderline cartoon-y. But on the flip side I liked the rough styling from using charcoal. After a few chapters, you get soaked into the art style and absorbed into the plot.
The story tells about Sailor Twain, who spends his days on a boat going up and down the Hudson River. He is married but works so frequently that he only sees her twice a year. One night hears someone hurt in the waters, and brings her on board. Turns out it wasn’t a woman drowning, but a hurt mermaid.
The story is more centered about sex and human emotions, a far cry from our modern views of mermaids. What makes the story more interesting is the local feel I get since the story is based around New York City, so many of the towns are familiar. I also like how it is set in American rather than Europe. Fairytales have been sugarcoated over the past 100 years. So it is nice to see old themes brought to the new world.
The story tells about Sailor Twain, who spends his days on a boat going up and down the Hudson River. He is married but works so frequently that he only sees her twice a year. One night hears someone hurt in the waters, and brings her on board. Turns out it wasn’t a woman drowning, but a hurt mermaid.
The story is more centered about sex and human emotions, a far cry from our modern views of mermaids. What makes the story more interesting is the local feel I get since the story is based around New York City, so many of the towns are familiar. I also like how it is set in American rather than Europe. Fairytales have been sugarcoated over the past 100 years. So it is nice to see old themes brought to the new world.