Book Review: The Brides of Rollrock Island

Title: The Brides of Rollrock Island.
Author: Margo Lanagan.
Format: Hardback.
Pages: 320.
Series: No.
Source: Purchased.
Publisher: David Flicking Books
Published Date: 2/2/2012.
Links:
Goodreads.
Barnes and Noble.
Summary:

"On remote Rollrock Island, men go to sea to make their livings—and to catch their wives. The witch Misskaella knows the way of drawing a girl from the heart of a seal, of luring the beauty out of the beast. And for a price a man may buy himself a lovely sea-wife. He may have and hold and keep her. And he will tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she. He will be equally ensnared. And the witch will have her true payment. Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire, despair, and transformation. With devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals characters capable of unspeakable cruelty, but also unspoken love."

First & Last Line:

"'The old witch is there,' said Raditch, peering over the top to Six-Mile Beach."
"And then it would drop them far out to sea, maybe, or inland among the crags beyond Windaway Peak-or perhaps nearby, on dune, in field, on cottage roof, in cobbled street, not caring who saw them, not caring a jot who knew."

Cover:

The cover of The Brides of Rollrock Island is amazingly beautiful! I love it...but! I wish it did tell a little bit more about the story, and give the readers a hint or two what it may be about. The ocean in the background is really pretty, but it doesn't really tell us too much.

My Thoughts:

The Brides of Rollrock Island is one of the most dense books I've read in a while. The story itself was a bit confusing at the beginning, there's just a lot to take in and know within the first few pages. But after re-reading it, and slowing down my pace, I couldn't get myself to put the book down.

The organization of the book, isn't what I'm used to. Instead of being divided into chapters, its divided into a few sections, each titled with the person's name, who that section follows. Each of these people has a connection one way or another to the local witch on Rollrock Island named Misskaella.

Soon the residents on the island, find out about Misskaella's supernatural power, to change a normal seal, to the most beautiful women any man on Rollrock has ever seen! Throughout time, Misskaella pulls out numerous seals, for men looking for a wife; changing things drastically in their male to female ration. While a half seal boy can live on land, a girl can't, if she isn't taken back to the sea, she'll soon die. With this, tensions rise; more boys live on the island than girls, and seal women want nothing to but to go back to their home.

The Brides of Rollrock Island, is the best and most in depth book I've read in a while, and couldn't get enough!