This is the second book that it makes me sad to read in the era of Donald Trump’s second reign of terror. But… this time, I’m going to take a different tone. Less “burn it to the ground” and more “let’s start rebuilding.” I’ve spent the last 24 hours reflecting on this book. I loved The House on the Cerulean Sea. This whole series is full of wonderful and quirky characters who I desperately wish I could know in real life. It’s a celebration of the weird and wonderful, and it’s a call for unity in the face of division. Honestly, as a review portion I’m just going to say I adore this book, the follow-up to House on the Cerulean Sea. Everything, just everything, is sweet, profound, beautiful, heartwarming, and perfect. I can not pick a favorite character, especially amongst the children because they are amazing. And Daniel Henning, the narrator, I’m speechless. Give the man an award. Give him ALL the money. There you go, there’s your review. Now the rest is going to be another one of my essays because I’ve got a lot of things to say lately.

I don’t like spoilers, but I need to talk about one specific scene in this novel, because it’s important and it’s timely. Arthur, a character who I adore more than I ever thought I could adore a character, finds himself, usually the optimist, filled with despair and finally giving up hope. No matter how hard he’s tried, his efforts to protect his children have failed. He’s spent his life teaching his children to love, to accept others with grace and understanding, to forgive ignorance and prejudice, and to allow others to realize the depths of their wrongs in time. Love always wins. People can change. But they aren’t changing, and he wearies of trying and waiting. As a phoenix, Arthur finally allows himself to lose control. In his rage and sadness, he burns. He unleashes the fire that has seethed within him for decades. The fire of his trauma as an abused child, the fire of his hurt and anger for his children who society continues to condemn and reject, and the fire of a man who was born different only to be viewed with fear rather than an appreciation for his beautiful and unique qualities. Are some of you thinking you can totally empathize with this lately? Have you felt the same way when you look at the state of world and wonder just how so many people could be so cold and unfeeling?

It is at this lowest point when his anger threatens to burn away the last good shred he has within him that his own goodness, his own lost hope, is brought back to him by one of his precious children. They still see that the fight is worthwhile, and that’s because he believed in them. It’s not over. One person can not bring color back to the black hearts of a million people. But sometimes one is enough. One touch, one kind word, one assurance that things will be ok is enough. Every time I open social media, I see hate. I see gleeful gloating goons reveling at the pain, sorrow and fear they are able to inspire in their fellow humans. But when I push those aside I also see reasons to hope. I see people processing their own pain with wit, humor, and encouragement for their fellow humans. They both can have power but only if we let them have power. It’s up to us to channel our attention back toward hope, optimism, and a sense of growth. Protect those you love who are in those groups most vulnerable to harm at the moment. Check in on them. But do not let them or yourself give up hope.

Now, I’m going address something a bit inconvenient, and it might piss some of my fellow liberals off. I know this book is a bit controversial. The reason, however, I feel it is controversial is that the left has this rather nasty habit of looking for something to complain about. For that reason, I’m not even going to address the controversy because that would give it power. Seriously, have we lost the ability to approach our fellow humans with empathy and grace? So many people these days overlook the beauty of a work of art based on who wrote it and whether or not they have “the right” to tell that particular story. Do you know what this does? It negates the message. It encourages more hate and division WHEN THAT’S LITERALLY THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS STORY. It is about setting aside hate and prejudice in order to forge a better and more accepting future. As people, we only stop growing when we die, so we have to give our fellow humans the ability to grow by forgiving past mistakes and setting aside the concept of revenge. Stop looking for reasons to hate things because the rest of the world is so full of hate that it’s made you bitter. Take a page from Arthur’s book and reach out when a helping hand is given and listen to what they have to say. Don’t extinguish the fire, but direct the flame in a direction that’s productive rather than destructive.

In the face of so many people who want to be our enemies, we can’t shut out those who want to be friends because they take an approach we wouldn’t take ourselves. You may be woke, but if you woke up cranky you won’t change any minds or hearts. You only make enemies of your friends and give the real enemies more traction. Truly, I hate the word enemies, because I don’t think it applies to people who are merely ignorant. They truly can still grow if given the appropriate information to process. If we want to be true champions of diversity and inclusion, we have to also champion ideas. Bring back civil discourse. Criticize a work without negating its purest essence. If we can’t do that, we are no better than those on the other side who are burning books.

Love each other. Listen. Heal your own heart and then heal the world.

Published September 10, 2024 by Macmillan Audio. ISBN 9781035009411. Runtime 15hrs 48 mins. Narrated by Daniel Henning (seriously… this man… *chef’s kiss*)