Rollrock island is a lonely rock of gulls and waves, blunt fishermen and their homely wives. Life is hard for the families who must wring a poor living from the stormy seas. But Rollrock is also a place of magic - the scary, salty-real sort of magic that changes lives forever. Down on the windswept beach, where the seals lie in herds, the outcast sea witch Misskaella casts her spells - and brings forth girls from the sea - girls with long, pale limbs and faces of haunting innocence and loveliness - the most enchantingly lovely girls the fishermen of Rollrock have ever seen. But magic always has its price. A fisherman may have and hold a sea bride, and tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she is. He will be equally ensnared. And in the end the witch will always have her payment. Margo Lanagan has written an extraordinary tale of desire, despair and transformation. In devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals unforgettable characters capable of unspeakable cruelty - and deep unspoken love.
After reading about the Rollrock fishermen and their sea brides, the world will not seem the same.
I have to go back and check if this book really was classified as YA, because it really reads more like an adult fairy tale.
At first glance, The Brides of Rollrock Island is about a sea-witch, Misskaella, who enacts her revenge on the residents of Rollrock Island because of the bullying she endured while growing up. She conjures up sea-wives (selkies) to enchant the men, driving every woman off the island--and earning a mighty sum in the process.
But again, that's just at first glance. The book goes into different character's PoVs, all telling the same story through different perspectives. With each new perspective, protagonists become villains, villains to characters you root for, and you see the fairytale more richly and clearly. It's hauntingly beautiful and expertly written.
The prose is so gorgeous and flowing you just keep reading on and on. It sucks you in, even if it's not a very action-packed novel. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's a transporting, powerful book, and one that'll probably stick with me for a while.
