Seven Tears at High Tide

Gr 9 Up—When 16-year-old Kevin sits on the beach wishing for an idyllic summer love, he has no idea that the sea is listening. A family of selkies nearby decide to send Morgan, their half-human, half-selkie son, to fulfill Kevin's request. For Morgan, falling in love is easy. The hard part is navigating the human world he has so long avoided and understanding what it will mean when the summer ends and he is expected to return to the sea. Lee's first novel suffers from clunky exposition, too many subplots, and a mythology that doesn't hold up very well. In particular, it is difficult to believe Morgan so easily passes as a human, despite having no home or phone, being incredibly confused in everyday situations, and owning only one piece of clothing. The writing often feels rushed or lazy, using vague stereotypes to fill out exposition and one-dimensional side characters to move the story along when convenient. Despite these failings, the central romance is sweet, even endearing, with issues like sex and love approached with sincerity and minimal drama. The difficulties of a same-sex relationship are not ignored (Kevin, who is Asian American and openly bisexual, mentions being bullied at school and used by a closeted classmate), but the book largely approaches it like any other romance.