When We Believed in Mermaids
When We Believed in Mermaids – Barbara O’Neal
“When I sit up, it all stops, and there is only the wreck of what once was.” Page 6.
Flashbacks. Successful person, overcoming a marred, tragic past?
“Not everything is a disaster waiting to happen, I tell myself. Although, strictly speaking, it is.” Page 26.
Yea, have to concur with that statement.
Part way through the novel, I paused. Good stories do that, right? Part of what sets a tale apart from others? The first part of the book is narrative driven by two very different characters, sisters, with that weird California past together. But in story-telling, made me wonder, does one write the whole story from one character’s point-of-view, then write the story over, from the other character’s point-of-view, then copy and paste the two stories together?
Also reminded me, over the years, long talks with my own sister, I wonder, we have very different recollections about family events, even though we were both there, at the same time. Same story from two different characters, like family members, right? Even with a just a few years difference, the tale is totally dissimilar. The same, but were they really the same?
But as an idea, separate and yet adjunct? Two parallel stories, same story, different voices, different characters telling the story from their own points-of-view.
Stalking around on the internet, seems to be the second book I’ve fallen into that is more romance than anything else. But passage of lyrical prose after passage, gives me time to pause and think, recall events, experiences, from my own life.
When We Believed in Mermaids
OK, so this is “chick lit.” Not exactly romance, but certainly written with a target demographic of which, I am not. Didn’t stop it from being an engaging story. Or didn’t stop it from being something I would recommend to most of my friends, just not the posturing alpha male type. Don’t think they’d like it too much.
For me, though, there’s were several situation where I recognized pieces of myself. Not completely, not totally, but the idea that there was some kind of a psychic change because of an ignite event? Then, moving forward, being responsible for one’s own action.
Of course such stuff would never sell in a a silly romance novel.
I liked it.
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