The narrator of “Chlorine” longs to escape her human body
Jade Song’s debut novel is a coming-of-age story with a touch of mystery and myth
The mermaids of folklore tend to be tragic figures, pining for legs and the love of human princes. But for Ren Yu, the teenage narrator of “Chlorine”, such tales misunderstand the otherworldly powers of these wondrous fish. Ren should know, since she insists she is a mermaid herself.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “The teenager’s tail”
Culture March 25th 2023
- A museum on a Kenyan island glosses over slavery
- “Ringmaster” is a colourful biography of a wrestling impresario
- When in Mexico City, try pulque, a local tipple
- The narrator of “Chlorine” longs to escape her human body
- “Beyond the Wall” adds depth to caricatures of East Germany
- A bold “Guys & Dolls” holds lessons for the future of theatre
From the March 25th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Pep Guardiola, football’s greatest coach, is in a bind
A serial winner is learning how to lose
The Economist’s word of the year for 2024
The Greeks knew how to talk about politics and power
What do feta, cucumbers and cottage cheese have in common?
Social media and the internet are changing how people cook and relate to food
Germany’s former chancellor sets out to restore her reputation
But her new memoir is unlikely to change her critics’ minds
The best books of 2024, as chosen by The Economist
Readers will never think the same way again about games, horses and spies
What to read to understand Elon Musk
The world’s richest man was shaped by science fiction