The Mermaid - Christina Henry

When I bought this book a couple of months ago, I hadn't realised that it was a book that had sat on my TBR list for a few years. That's when you know a book is going to be right for you!

As part of my effort to work my way through my physical TBR, I picked it up for the bank holiday and immediately got lost in the history of P T Barnum and his museum of curiosities.

Unlike the masses, I wasn't quite as hooked on The Greatest Showman when it came out; whilst I appreciate the film and everything it encompassed, it was a classic case of Hollywood putting a positive spin on an otherwise dark history.

The Mermaid tells the story of a mermaid who choses to join Barnums exhibition so she can fund her dreams to see the world.

Adding a fantasy element to the Fiji Mermaid hoax that Barnum was the ringleader of, the story approaches a number of subjects tactfully. Firstly, the Mermaid, Amelia, is not always allowed the freedom she signed up for and the religious zealots of the time use her existence as a platform.

"A bird in a cage still knows it's in a cage, even if the bars are made of gold,"

Set in 19th century America, this was never going to be a truly happy story but it is one that draws you in and leaves you feeling that the ending is a fair one.

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