A Song Below Water

 

Warning: Slight spoilers ahead

Have you ever read a book that just gets you?  A book that says exactly what you're thinking?  Well, that's how I felt when I read this book.  A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow is a story of sisterhood, Black Girl Magic, and using your voice.  It takes places in a world that is similar to ours, but fantastical creatures such as gargoyles and elokos exist.  

Tavia is at odds with the world because she has to keep her siren identity under wraps.  To top it off, she lives in Portland, Oregon, a city with a handful of black people and even fewer magical people.  Luckily, she has her best friend Effie as they tackle high school drama, unrequited crushes, and family secrets.  But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls' favorite Internet fashion icon reveals that she's a siren, and the news rips through their community.  Tensions rise as demons from Effie's past start to haunt her, and Tavia uses her siren call during a police stop.  No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won't be either.

This book better than I expected it to be, which is a good thing!  The book alternated between the point of view's of Tavia and Effie.  Tavia is a siren who must keep her identity under wraps.  Ever since the 1940s, only black women have become sirens.  Due to this, sirens are no longer seen as mysterious and majestic, but rather dangerous creatures that need to be tamed.  Tavia is just trying to live her life normally and happily.  At times, she wishes her voice away, at others, she's so afraid to speak that she defaults to sign language.  Effie, her adopted sister, is her interpreter in these situations.  However, when the aftermath of a siren murder trial rocks the nation, Tavia has to decide whether to stay silent or use her voice.

The other main character, Effie, was the yin to Tavia's yang.  She is sweet, sensitive, and caring.  Effie may not have any powers, but she still deals with survivor's guilt from an incident in her childhood.  Effie is very self-conscious because she has very dry skin that is always peeling off.  This causes her to be self-deprecating.  However, Effie starts to notice that her body is going through abnormal changes.   As these alterations start to happen more frequently, only one question remains...What is Effie?

My favorite part was when Effie talked about how in fanfiction and fanart of the character she portrays at the Renaissance Fair, she's always depicted as white or mixed.  This really spoke to me.  I am very passionate about how black women and girls are depicted in media.  The "strong black woman" and "loud, ghetto black woman" tropes are engrained in our view of black girls.  Whenever a black girl is depicted as soft, elegant, or girly, people in fandoms can't fathom it.  Negative traits are always associated with black girls, so whenever we are depicted with positive traits, the character and actress get flack for not "acting black" enough.  The fact that this was addressed in the book really brightened my day.  I can't wait to see where Morrow takes the story next.

The sequel, A Chorus Rises, is expected to be released on June 1, 2021.

XOXO, Michaela