The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
The life of Linus Baker is peaceful and alone. He’s forty years old and resides in a little home with a cunning cat and his old recordings. He oversees the welfare of kids in officially recognized orphanages as a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth.
When Linus is unceremoniously summoned by Extremely Upper Management, he is given a strange and highly classified task: visit the Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children live: a were-Pomeranian, the Antichrist, a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, and five other children. Linus needs to put his worries to the side and assess their likelihood of bringing about the end of the world.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
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However, the island has other secrets besides those involving the kids. Their guardian is the endearing and mysterious Arthur Parnassus, who would stop at nothing to protect his charges. Long-kept secrets are revealed as Arthur and Linus get closer, forcing Linus to choose between destroying a house and watching the world burn.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a fascinating tale that is expertly recounted. It is about the profound experience of finding an improbable family in an unexpected place and recognizing that family is actually your family.
The House in the Cerulean Sea tells the tale of Linus Baker, a government employee in a made-up (though ostensibly magical) world who is terribly lonely but keeps himself too busy carrying out his duties in accordance with the strict Rules and Regulations to give his life much thought. The only sources of joy in his life are his record collection, his cat Calliope, and the sunflowers in his garden. Although Linus’ inner monologue is immediately funny, his life is mostly depressing and dull.
Linus continually misses the bus (or it is late), forgets his umbrella on rainy days, exhibits mild self-hatred, and has a seemingly lifelong ambition to blend in with the wall paint. This metaphor is further expanded in a tragicomic manner. Fortunately, the book’s purpose is to make him happy. Author Klune achieves this by focusing on the fantasy section of the book, where Linus is required to conduct a unique casework visit to a fantastical island and watch the local family. By the time the novel is finished, Linus (or Mr Baker, as he is known at the orphanage he is “investigating”) has gradually increased his capacity for happiness over the course of his visit.
The challenge for the author of this book was to take a character who the reader could immediately identify as unhappy, unambitious, and with low self-esteem and expose them to a variety of plot and character elements that would fundamentally alter their perspective on life, behaviour, and the future without seeming “out of character.” Although it is a superb character study, the novel is filled with cosy, beautiful touches rather than feeling forced.
