Sailor Twain: A Woman's Scorn...

Sailor Twain (or The Mermaid in the Hudson) by Mark Siegel

Why did I read it?

There are two reasons that I picked this book up. First, I am apparently on a Romance reading spree (Every Day, Forever..., and Amiri & Odette: A Love Story are the last books I've read lol).

Secondly, while flipping through the work, I found that it featured a topless mermaid. I wanted to ensure that it wasn't gratuitous before I put it onto our young adult shelves.

What happened?

Twain is the captain of a steamboat on the Hudson River near Victorian era New York City. Some days he thinks he is the only one that keeps the wonderful ship afloat. The owner, a French noblemen is bedding every woman that comes aboard, and the engineer was involved in a mysterious explosion on his last expedition.

But Twain's dedication to his ship lessens dramatically when he rescues a wounded mermaid and slowly falls in love with her. Sharing his own personal stories and reading fantastical tales with the creature, Twain makes her promise that she will never sing to him. But Twain's devotion to his ship isn't the only thing affected by his love for the mermaid. He also begins to neglect his crippled wife who he used to visit every weekend...

As the mermaid begins to consume Twain's every waking thought, he can't help but wonder where she came from, and who wounded her in the first place. This search will ultimately lead to a terrible choice that begs question of the difference between love and obsession, selflessness and selfishness, and supernatural forces.

What did I like or not like?

This graphic novel actually began as a serialized webcomic drawn in charcoal. The illustrations are simple, being only black and white, but that aspect keeps them powerful and mysterious.

In addition to fascinating illustrations, the story of love, danger, and consequences is really engrossing and I know that I blazed right through it. But I have to admit that I had to contemplate the ending a little bit to make it make sense to me.

Concerning the topless mermaid issue, pretty much every illustration shows her absolutely bare-chested. While I completely understand if this turns you off from the novel, I think I understand the reason behind it. Siegel was trying to write an original novel based on mythology. Traditionally speaking, mermaids have been drawn topless, and it seems he was trying to remain true to that aspect of the mythos.

So I can't say the toplessness is gratuitous as there is quite a bit of precedent there, but I think it should play a part in whether or not you decide to read the story.