TJ Klune followed up The House In The Cerulean Sea with a hotly anticipated sequel, Somewhere Beyond The Sea. The book marks a return to Klune’s heartfelt and thoughtful world packed with magical kiddos who will make your heart grow three sizes. We said the original had “enough love and heart to fill an ocean,” and Somewhere Beyond The Sea makes that already-full ocean overflow with more love and more heart.
Arthur Parnassus, Linus Baker, and their six magical children enjoy an idyllic life together on Marsyas Island. The village has become more accepting, and life is good. Then, Arthur testifies for the Departments in Charge of Magical Youth and Magical Adults (DICOMY and DICOMA, respectively) to share in grave detail his torturous upbringing at the hands of an abusive organization. His testimony sparks the ill-intentioned new leadership of DICOMY to inspect his house and the children once more, but their motives remain foggy at best. Meanwhile, Arthur and Linus visit David, a young Yeti who may come to live with them and the children on Marsyas island. Soon, the Baker-Parnassus family must grapple with the wrath of bigoted government organizations while keeping their children—including the unregistered David—safe.
Cerulean Sea was Linus’ story—focused, developed for one DICOMY employee to learn and change. It set out to accomplish a specific thing and passed with flying colors. Beyond the Sea busts the world wide open and tells a grander story. The burden sits on Arthur’s back, and while it could be easy to lose the many threads at which this story pulls, Klune is an apt steward for the moving parts. I thought a few times, “wow, there’s a lot going on” but never once followed that with a worry that I wasn’t in good hands. This, in turn, is why Cerulean Sea deserves a sequel. The first book gave us a focused take on one person unlearning his internalized prejudice. Beyond the Sea grapples with the world at large and how to change minds on a broader scale.
Somewhere Beyond The Sea has a cozy feel despite dealing with heavy topics. You won’t find any massive battles or intricate fight scenes. The moments of outright action are few. And yet, the book has a distinct sense of momentum as it builds to its conclusion. Along for the ride are Lucy, Talia, Fi, Theodore, Chauncey, Sal, David (all the children) and a few other members of the Baker-Parnassus found family. Moments that in any other book would be lulls between action become precious opportunities to learn about the wondrous characters. Klune makes it easy to love them, so the narrative mission makes sense. Like I said above, it can feel hamfisted, but it’s what we need. Klune isn’t afraid to give us an out-and-proud story about people fighting for their right to exist.
In the acknowledgments of Somewhere Beyond The Sea, Klune says he specifically wants to be the anti-JK Rowling. The book emanates that spirit from the front cover to the final page. Some readers might complain at how on the nose the book is. The magical beings are easy inserts for the trans community and all oppressed people. Personally, I want this book to be as on the nose as it is. I want it to slap people awake and make them think about how others are treated. Klune balances this mission (and firmly plants himself as the anti-Rowling—mission accomplished!) and the storytelling deftly.
I can think of a million reasons to read this book and one to avoid it. The one reason to avoid it is being a person who hasn’t already read Cerulean Sea. Do yourself a favor and relish this gorgeous duo.
Rating: Somewhere Beyond The Sea – 9.0/10
