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.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
Comment: I decided to read this book after seeing incredible reviews, especially by some people I know who didn't know much about the author's work. Since I had read other things by the author, I decided to give this one a go, and I've finally managed to pick it up.
In this novel we meet Linus Baker, a dedicated and responsible worker whose job as caseworker for several orphanages makes him feel he is doing something valid, even though his life is somewhat grey. One day he is summoned by the Upper Management to travel to an orphanage on an island, one they want to be certain is working as it should and Linus doesn't think twice by following his orders. There, he soon realizes the children are special, unique, and as often happens, misunderstood by others. He doesn't want to, but he starts caring for them all during the month he stays, and this leads him to wonder a few things about the orphanage itself and why would the Upper Management want to know the secrets it contains. They also want to know what is happening with the master, Arthur Parnassus, but while this man proves to be as special as the children, he is also irresistible to Linus...
I already had an idea of this author's style which means the quirkiness of the tale wasn't that surprising to me. I saw that this confused (and disappointed) many readers but it is an acquired taste. Personally, I enjoy this almost whimsical vibe that something special is going on, but it takes time for things to be revealed.
The plot doesn't seem very original, I immediately thought about other stories (mainly on TV) about children in orphanages who aren't welcomed by others because they are different, but it was nice to have a spin on it with the particular traits the author gave the characters. It was also cute how they are, of course, misunderstood but they are actually warm and sweet and as innocent as their age suggests. I did struggle to envision one or two of them but I liked that their personalities shone.
There is a lot of talk about acceptance, about what it means to live in prejudice and fear, in judging others for things they cannot control but while some readers feel this was very preachy throughout the story, I didn't mind it because, I mean, that was clearly the whole point of this story, to highlight how unfairness and judgement interfere with everyone's lives, especially the victims of their circumstances, appearances and other factors. Unlike other books by the author, which were focused on romance, that is not the goal here, and I think the message was accomplished well enough.
The story is all told through Linus' POV. He was a person who many would deem boring, unassuming, uninteresting, someone who lacks good looks and a compelling personality. But, as time goes by, Linus also changes after he meets everyone at the island, and the things he knew were negative about him in his "real life", weren't as important on the island and, how often this is the same for most of us, when someone else sees us through their eyes, we might not believe, but everything is kind of in the eye of the beholder...
Linus is an interesting main character because he isn't aware of his own value outside of what he can do work wise. I tend to like stories with characters who are humble and who are proven how special they are and Linus journey here is way more metaphorical than it might seem at first.I really liked how the relationships he develops with the children and a few other adult characters showed him he could see himself differently, and, thus, reach for more than he imagined.
There are also some romantic elements, since Linus and Arthur fall in love, but nothing explicit happens, only very suggestive conversations and yearning looks. I get it, the point was not to highlight this but instead to present another element which contributed to Linus' evolution as a character. Still, it's cute to have some scenes here and there where we can just tell they like one another and in the end there are some more obvious declarations. We must also take into consideration that knowing more about Arthur as the story moves long, is a way for Linus to trust himself more.
The end is quite cute and adorable, right after some necessary action by Linus in defending himself and the children and the orphanage. I really can't say these sections are as great as they should, I confess there's something missing, some kind of emotion or sensation, but it does lead the plot to where it was meant from the start. I also think some situations were a bit too slow in how they developed and a few characters weren't developed as well as I think they should, making them seem a little cartoonish, especially the antagonists.
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