An uplifting story where Studio Ghibli meets Hallmark, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune both warms and welcomes its readers with its poignant attention to detail and supercharged comedic timing. Rounded off with wonderful representation and an adorable ensemble cast, this book is perfect for anyone wanting to feel that there’s still space for them somewhere.
Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.
I’m not often a fan of romance stories that involve children, but TJ Klune managed to make this an exception. Ample time is spent fleshing out each and every one of the children, their personalities, fears, and needs, making them feel like true characters, not just a hurdle for a romantic interest to cross. Linus’ individual relationships with all the children are held with exactly as much importance as his blooming romance with Arthur is. Both Linus and Arthur have such a soft and nurturing connection. Their relationship doesn’t feel like it happens in the blink of an eye; it develops slowly and lovingly, through mutual support, and Linus and Arthur's tendencies to push each other out of their own respective bubbles. It’s refreshing to see in an adult queer novel.
The representation of the children is extraordinary; Klune tackles storylines that parallel supporting disabled and/or neurodivergent children, as well as queer and trans-coded characters. It’s wonderful to see media that specifically looks at this, especially one that’s from the perspective of an adult looking at a child facing those issues. The way The House in the Cerulean Sea handles these conflicts is both sweet and heartbreaking. It hurts to see the way the children are treated at the beginning, but it’s important to see the ways in which the adults handle it. So often we only see generalized media about acceptance and differences, intended for a children’s audience. The way Klune takes responsibility off the children is so subtle, but it makes all the difference.
With such a large cast, it should have been easy for someone to fall behind, or for one relationship to be held over another, but Klune proves that, both in book and in life, you have room for everyone. Lucy and Talia’s dark humor, Phee’s sarcasm, Chauncy’s comedic timing, and Sal and Theodore’s absolute adorableness—it was all so beautifully written that I found myself ready to fight for these children the same way Linus and Arthur do. Add in Zoe and Helen and you truly have one of the best found families I’ve read in modern literature. Every time Klune asked, “Don’t you wish you were here?”, I found myself saying, “Yes, more than anything, I do.”
TJ Klune is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Extraordinaries, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it's important―now more than ever―to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.
You can find more of Klune’s work at http://www.tjklunebooks.com/. The newest book in his The Extraordinaries Series, Heat Wave, is available for preorder now.
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