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In a seaside town of sandy beaches and ocean breezes, Sapphy has never felt so far from the sea. The crowded shore at St. Pirans is nothing like the cove at Sapphy's old home, where she first found her way into the underwater world of Ingo.But Ingo's pull is strong, and it always finds a way. Soon Sapphy and her brother, Conor, are swimming beneath the waves again, riding the currents and teasing their Mer friend Faro. As Sapphy goes deeper into Ingo, she learns to feel more at home in the sea — even as she begins to be aware of its dangers.There's the danger of going in too deep, and breaking the delicate balance between Sapphy's life on land and her life in Ingo. There's the mysterious disappearance of Sapphy's father, an experienced sailor who should never have drowned. And then there's Ingo itself — a restless power as old as the world, as strong as the tides, and more dangerous than anything Sapphy has ever known.
Sapphy must navigate the perilous boundary between her terrestrial life and the seductive, dangerous depths of the underwater world of Ingo. As she and her brother Conor return to the sea, they find themselves drawn into the currents of an ancient, restless power that threatens to consume them. Sapphy struggles to reconcile her human identity with her growing affinity for the ocean, all while searching for answers regarding her father's mysterious disappearance at sea. The narrative, told through a perspective that emphasizes the sensory experience of the water, explores the tension between the safety of the shore and the unpredictable nature of the deep.
This work is characterized by its lyrical prose and atmospheric world-building, which effectively captures the dual nature of the ocean as both a sanctuary and a threat. The narrative structure relies on the protagonist's internal growth to mirror the physical dangers of the underwater realm, creating a cohesive sense of unease. Readers often note the author's ability to make the sea feel like a living, breathing character rather than a mere setting. The story avoids simple tropes, instead focusing on the complex, often isolating experience of belonging to two worlds simultaneously.
Page Count:
335
Publication Date:
2012-01-01
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers Limited
ISBN-10:
0007464118
ISBN-13:
9780007464111