“The world is a weird and wonderful place. Why must we try and explain it all away? For our personal satisfaction?”
Linus Baker is a quiet man leading a quiet life. He’s a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, where he always follows the rules to a “t.” He doesn't question authority and does what's expected of him: nothing more, nothing less. Other than that, he lives with a cranky cat and his music to keep him company. It’s a lonely existence but he doesn’t know anything else.
And then one day he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and sent on a top secret assignment: to investigate the Marysas Orphanage, located on a remote island. The children that live there are supposedly unlike any Linus has ever seen—dangerously magical, apparently—and there’s a rumor one could bring about the End of Days. He is also urged to investigate the home's master, Arthur Parnassus, for reasons no one explains to him.
When Linus arrives, he is shocked by what he finds, in that these children ARE different. Sure, they have the potential to be dangerous (particularly one), but they have the same needs of all children—to be loved and cared for, to be taken seriously, and to have their dreams nurtured. All of this definitely is happening thanks to the enigmatic Arthur Parnassus.
What happens when a man who has always followed the rules and been led by his brain suddenly has his heart opened? What will that mean for his life, his job, and the children?
One of the blurbs for The House in the Cerulean Sea says it’s “very close to perfect,” and I couldn’t agree more. This is a gorgeous book about our tendency to fear what we don’t understand, the magic love can do, and the different meanings of family.
This is a fantasy, of course, so it’s not for everyone, but while there are fantastical elements to the story, beyond that it's just a story about love and relationships and belonging. Boy, this is one I’ll remember and love for a long, long time.
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