Dreaming of the House in the Cerulean Sea

As someone who considers themself shy and introverted, it isn’t always easy to relate to these ‘larger than life’ protagonists. They are a dime a dozen in shows and movies, and everyone in real life tries to behave like one. When I come across a character like Linus Baker, I feel something in me that relates on a very deep level. Linus is career-oriented, has no remaining family, lives with a grumpy cat, and does not appear to have any friends. Beyond it all, he seems to be okay with it. We all know this is a lie, but I find myself understanding all the same: sometimes you roll with the cards life has dealt you and you make peace with your small lot. The only thing that could have possibly pushed Linus to leave his comfort zone was the mission given to him by Extremely Upper Management. I think back to my wonderful visits to Prince Edward Island and realize I would have never gone there if work hadn’t sent me there. I get it.

When Linus visits Marsyas island, he must confront different kinds of people and push past a lot of his fears and prejudices. While he was always an empathetic person, he was also a rules person and strove to always display professionalism, but everything starts to change when he meets Arthur Parnassus. Arthur is the master of the orphanage Linus is sent to evaluate, and he is the most unique man Linus has ever encountered. Arthur challenges Linus to view the children as more than just wards of the state–instead as the innocent and misjudged kids they are. Arthur challenges Linus to put down the rulebook and listen to what he hears around him with an open mind and an open heart. When Linus starts to understand the children individually and realise they are not the dangerous predators he was told they are, Linus begins to change. Linus begins to see that the orphanage is a home, the children are a family, and Arthur is their father. Linus sees the colour of the blue skies and hears the rumble of the ocean. Even the cat somehow feels happier here. In comparison to Linus’ grey and rainy home, Marsyas is filled with little friends, a sense of family, and maybe even love.

The further I read into this book, the more I felt a connection to Linus, because I could easily see myself becoming someone like him; falling into a work routine, leading a mundane life, not building meaningful connections, and ultimately wishing I was somewhere else. To see Linus turn his life around and make the eventual decision to move to Marsyas really pulled on my heart strings. There is hope for everyone, even a chubby man in his 40s. Introverts don’t often see the need to meet new people and take on new relationships. They trick themselves into believing that the little things they have are more than enough for them to be happy. But the truth is that introversion can come with a lot of loneliness, and sometimes meeting new people can push oneself into new and exciting directions. This was exactly the case for Linus, who needed to meet someone like Arthur and needed to surround himself by unique individuals like the kids. It changed his way of thinking and gave way to a new identity I believe he always yearned for. As someone who often falls into ruts and feels like becoming a caveman, Linus Baker gives me hope for my own future. A hope to travel more, to do new things, to meet new people, and to be the better version of me.

While a lot of what I’ve written about so far is routed in reality, this is still a fantasy novel. There are wyverns, sprites, gnomes, anamorphs, devils, and even giant unknowns. This is a world where magic exists, and quite often magic users are feared, to the point where the government requires registration and lifelong supervision of magical beings. Linus’ job (and organization) is meant to regulate magical youths who do not come from stable homes, and as a case worker, he must ensure the orphanages can properly handle its kids. Linus was always able to rely on the rule book for making informed decisions, and once his reports were submitted, his supervisor would evaluate his work. But on this secret mission of his, Linus’ limits are tested by having to meet the most unique of all children he would ever have to encounter (and perhaps most dangerous). There is Phee, a mild-mannered sprite who happened to turn two men into trees once upon a time. There is Sal, a shy boy who turns into a Pomeranian when he’s scared and can transfer that power to anyone he bites. There is Talia, a garden gnome with a propensity for burying things, sometimes alive (according to her). Things get stranger when Linus meets Theodore, who isn’t even human. He’s a wyvern who communicates with chirps and loves collecting coins. Then there’s Chauncey, who at this point, no one can place as a known species. All we know is he’s a green see-through blob with tall alien eyes and tentacles. This leaves the final and most concerning child, Lucy. Lucy happens to be short for Lucifer, seeing as though he is the actual devil incarnate. It’s obvious which one Linus feared the most, and it didn’t help that they were on a secluded island in a secret house that no one knew about, save for a very small few.

During Linus’ first week on Marsyas, Lucy threatens to the end the world and reap terror on a daily basis. Talia offers to hit Linus in the head with her shovel and quietly bury him in her garden. Theodore gnaws at Linus’ legs every so often unless he is paid in buttons. Phee doesn’t pay him any mind, while Sal runs away in fear. In more strange behavior, Chauncey launders his clothes and changes his sheets. What Linus comes to learn after a small amount of time is that these kids are far more full of personality than they are evil. Their uniqueness is encouraged by master Arthur (within reason), and at the end of the day, they are still youngsters who need guidance, encouragement, and love. Linus begins to see how people judge them when he pushes Arthur to take them on a day trip into the city for the first time. It is Linus who jumps in to defend them and protect them from the human civilians who judge them to be demons. Through spending time with each kid in ways he has never done before, Linus learns that Lucy fights his evil nature every day and believes in friendship and protecting loved ones. Talia’s grumpy demeanor is an artifact of her gnome DNA, but she really is just passionate about her garden. Theodore may be a different species, but Linus can eventually understand and communicate with him, later realizing why Theo treasures the things he collects. Sal runs away and transforms into a dog because of his past traumas and fear of how humans treated him. Phee keeps to herself because she is a forest sprite who understands nature more than she does people. And Chauncey, despite his appearance, is the sweetest kid in the world who just wants to be a bellhop at a thriving hotel one day.

The story of House in the Cerulean Sea makes a bold statement in learning about each others’ differences and seeing beyond prejudice. When Linus realizes all that these children bring to the world, he advocates for them and their home to anyone who would listen. Through his ability to influence change. Linus convinces Extremely Upper Management that the orphanage should remain open and that others can learn from these special kids and their special home. It’s absolutely touching and sweet.

I guess the drawback of not doing research on the author beforehand was that the LGBT themes in the book came as a total surprise to me. But it was not an unwelcome surprise, so there’s that. Sometimes I find pushing the woke agenda to be overwhelming, especially when the story doesn’t really call for it. What I like about T. J. Klune’s way of bringing it into this story is that it’s cute, loving, sensible, and not overtly sexual.

While I suspected it early in the story when he was speaking to his neighbor, by the middle of the story Linus confirms his attraction to men (or more so his lack of attraction to women). When Linus relocates to the orphanage in Marsyas, very subtle sparks start to fly between him and Arthur. At first, I didn’t know if Arthur was just a smooth operator, or if indeed there was an attraction. But after a while I found myself hoping there was one. I mean, I was disgustingly attracted to Arthur’s energy, so I couldn’t have blamed Linus one bit.

There were a few things I really liked about the build-up to the romance. For starters, Linus was not your stereotypical jock alpha-male gay guy (you all know the ones). He was a middle-aged, chubby, balding, simplistic man. He wasn’t going to gay strip clubs or hitting up Grindr (though mobile phones are not really referenced at all in this book). This isn’t to say he couldn’t have with his looks, but there is a world of men out there who aren’t defined by how they fit into the scene. The averageness of Linus’ appearance actually meant a lot to me because men like this do exist. There is a lot of pressure in the gay community for the men to have abs and be party animals, and by extension this imagery is portrayed a lot in media. What ever happened to the couples like Cam and Mitch? Even Arthur’s appearance wasn’t described as being bombshell gorgeous, which really emphasized that the relationship between him and Linus was based more on feelings than on looks (another sad reality of the dating would these days). From experience, the community can be quite judgemental about appearances, favoring certain aesthetic types over others, but there are a literal rainbow of body types out there and everyone deserves a chance at love and romance.

I also really liked that there wasn’t too much attention drawn to the idea of there being a same-sex couple in this world. There were no big coming-out discussions and the supporting characters were simply routing for Linus and Arthur, the two individuals in love. In an ideal world, we shouldn’t have to draw too much attention to what makes a homosexual relationship different, when realistically the two love each other the same. The sex is obviously what works differently, but that should be between the two consenting adults, and in this story it is respectfully kept private. Towards the later part of the story, Linus and Arthur shared kisses and held hands a lot, and what I appreciated was that it made their love look innocent and pure. The current state of media likes to tie vulgarity into the mix by making ‘love’ turn into foreplay, but why is it necessary? I am so glad that this story, which heavily involved children, displayed the relationship as being that of pure chemistry and attraction.

While I would never advocate that it is the LGBT’s job to make heterosexuals comfortable with them, I do believe it is important to show them that love is love. It is the same kind that we all feel for each other, even if it looks different. When we lessen the gap between our differences and showcase the similarities, we can relate to each other better. This is why I applaud T. J. Klune’s style of inclusion, where it doesn’t seem woke, but just natural.

One thing that I found hard to believe at times was how young these kids were considering their personalities. I then would have to remind myself that they were magical youth after all. Sometimes stories can portray children to be bratty, immature, impulsive, and just unhinged, which I’m sure many of us can’t stand. The children of Marsyas island are a completely different story. As a group they were completely diabolical, but individually they really had their own quirks. The biggest culprit in the story is Lucy. Lucifer, the actual devil and bringer of absolute catastrophe and end times. Since he’s aware of his lineage, he uses this to his advantage and threatens destruction regularly. He has the power to turn the skies dark, cause distortions to happen, and inflict actual pain on anyone at any time. What’s ridiculously beloved, though, is that despite all that, he’s just all talk. Part of that may be because Arthur did such an amazing job raising him to actually know right from wrong. But at the end of the day, Lucy is just a six-year-old who likes to scare people by talking about death. He’s funny, energetic, charismatic, and loyal. He is like a born leader amongst his group, and rather than fear him, they all love and respect him.

My favourite might be Talia, the little girl with a long, white beard (she is a gnome after all). In her world she may be over 200 years-old, but in this one she is just a kid with the personality of a pirate. She seems to like being a menace in cahoots with Lucy, often promising to whack someone upside the head with her shovel. She also plans to use said shovel to dig the grave for said person. She’s grumpy, but behind the grouchiness she is wise beyond her years. She speaks like someone who has been around for several centuries, and she behaves live one too (old and tired). Where Chauncey might look the strangest, he happens to be the nicest. He is extremely polite and hospitable. His dream of becoming a bellhop pushes him to clean, launder, organize, and lift luggage better than anyone else. At some point, Linus questions to Arthur whether it is wise to allow Chauncey to have such unrealistic dreams, but Arthur insists that he wants to give Chauncey hope for the future. Chauncey’s happy demeanor isn’t lost on those around him, and you can tell the others adore him for everything he is.

Theodore is another kid who brings a strange look to the table, being a wyvern and all. Where dragons have arms/legs in addition to wings, wyverns have wings that encompass claws/hands. With his wings being as big as they are, he often trips over himself like a small bundle of chaos. Linus’ biggest obstacle in communicating with Theodore is that the little wyvern only speaks in chirps. Somehow the others understand him, but all Linus knows is that Theodore likes to collect little round things (like coins and buttons) for his hoard. Still, as the weeks go on, Linus finds himself understanding more and more of Theodore’s actions and pure intentions. Sal, though seemingly the most normal of the bunch, is also the most vulnerable and damaged. He is a stark contrast to Lucy, wherein he transforms into a dog when he is scared and flees. It takes him very long time to open up to Linus, but when he finally does, he is revealed to be intensely mature and thoughtful. He is a born writer who can express himself better that anyone else. While he has the power to harm others with his bite, it is something he strives never to do because all he wants is to be accepted.

Lastly, there is Phee, who I realise I haven’t said much about. This is because out of everyone, I personally felt she had the least interaction with Linus. Perhaps this is because of her nature as a forest sprite and her connection to the land. While the other children are closely raised by Arthur, he relies on the help of Zoe Chapelwhite to rear Phee. Zoe is the natural owner of Marsyas, being a sprite herself. As an elder who had many moons to grow into her power, who better than her was there to teach Phee? Linus does share a special moment with Phee when she grows a flower out of the ground for him, showcasing her power of creation. She can speak to the environment and call it into her service. Her abilities are stunning, and while she may not be as intertwined with the squabbles of the other children, she is connected to way more on a grander scale.

Overall, the personalities of all 6 children range from sinister to wicked, to thoughtful and practical. As a family, they all encourage each other and cause an absolute symphony of entertainment. Whether it be their magical entanglements or simply their upbringing, they are quite intelligent and know how to use satire, metaphors, hyperboles, and much more to communicate for themselves. It makes them so endearing and completely unforgettable.

From the get-go, Arthur is shrouded in mystery. Extremely Upper Management obviously wants Linus to keep tabs on Arthur, but his file has been heavily redacted. It’s no wonder Linus was so cautious of him when they first met. Still, we all love a man of mystery, and I could just sense between the words on the page that Linus felt the same. Arthur oozed charm and intrigue from the moment he met Linus. His mannerisms, his thoughtfulness, his patience, and his authority over the children were all out the roof. When Linus sat down with Arthur in private, they would debate philosophy and banter about different perspectives. Arthur was able to recognize the empathy in Linus’ heart, and quite often seemed to read his mind. Linus often described how youthful Arthur appeared for a man in his 40s, which got me to thinking about the children’s maturity versus young looks. This was when I started to suspect Arthur to be more than just human.

They say your initial gut instincts are always correct, and sure enough it turns out that Arthur is a rare phoenix, possibly the only one. It’s a secret he harbored for many years, known only to a few. Linus eventually finds out, questioning if Arthur was ever who he thought him to be. What I really appreciated about Arthur at this point was his ability to be vulnerable with Linus and share his fears and truths, even at the risk of it backfiring. Linus could possibly go back to London and tear apart Arthur’s whole home, but Arthur chooses to believe in his feelings about Linus. The way Author’s character is written reveals the most attractive kind of man; one without toxic masculinity. He may be tall, handsome, handy, and fit, but he is gentle, loving, caring, and fearless. He is far more of a father to the children than he is a master. The power he possesses as a phoenix can be destructive and unparalleled, but his strength and willpower are enough to control it and allow him to be seen for just the amazing man he is. I must say, if I went to a remote island and met an Arthur Parnassus, I too would probably not return home.

Two things are very true about this story: 1) The idea of running towards a better life on a sunny, ocean-side island is extremely appealing, and 2) Our city lives are absolute shit. I can’t say I enjoyed reading the parts about DICOMY, but I appreciated it because of my own history working in corporate. It sucks. There’s always a lot of red tape, egotistical bosses, narcissistic colleagues, and a complete lack of respect for work-life balance. It’s a bit unclear if Linus was the only one who was married to the job, or if everyone at the company was. My assumption, though, is that everyone was miserable. It’s usually discontented management that runs the employees into the ground. The annual holiday dinner where the employees would be served sub-par food by Extremely Upper Management hit home too well. “This is enough of a treat for them.” The idea of there being demerit points for cosmetic and decorative infractions is wild. Being given an assignment for travel based on knowledge of one’s personal relationship status is foul. Yet all these things happen in the current world.

Beyond company life itself, the governments policing and oversight of magical beings is not that far-removed from our reality either. We all live in a CCTV world and were just recently forced to take vaccinations against our wills, much like forced registration for magical beings. The government regulates us through financial institutions who determine if we deserve a loan for a home, much how DICOMY determines if an orphanage is adequate. Repeatedly, “See something, say something, “is plastered all throughout the land to encourage others to narc on each other. Even the human citizens of Marsyas are paid hush money to protect the secrecy of the orphans homed there. All of this rings true of similar things in our everyday lives. Though House in the Cerulean Sea may be about an LGBT man finding his identity, family, and love, it is just as much an allegory for the dystopian would we all live in and how the government only seeks to contain us. The fact that T. J. Klune tackles so many pressing topics in one novel is nothing short of amazing.

My final praise for this book takes a deeper look at a special moment in the story, as a lot of what I’ve shared so far is just surface-level stuff. My favourite was when Linus experienced his first ‘free Saturday ‘on the island, a time when the kids got to decide how to spend the day. In this case, it was a treasure hunt lead by captain Lucy, deep into the dangerous forest where cannibals and man-eating snakes dwelled (not really), Linus, being on the chunkier side, was completely out of his element as they traversed the woods in the blazing heat. The children had to use their deductive skills and even some of their magic to clear the path through the forest to the treasure. They stumbled upon a beach, where Lucy spotted a cannibal camp. He elected Arthur to inspect and investigate the area for safety. Arthur happened to have his machete in order to stave off danger, but after some time, he did not return, and the children started to worry. They then turned to Linus for guidance and Linus played along, deciding to look for Arthur’s remains with the children close behind him. Unable to find his body or at least any pieces, they encountered a sacred being blocking their path forward. While the children negotiated for Arthur’s whereabouts and the hidden treasure, Linus recognized the voice of the special entity as belonging to Zoe. It became clear to him that this expedition had some pre-planned elements for the children’s benefit that he was not looped into. The sacred being accepted Lucy’s terms and allowed passage to a clearing where there stood a rustic house. Linus found himself wondering who had a house located so far into the forest, before realizing that it belonged to Zoe. Sprites were known to be solitary creatures who opted to live in isolation, but the fact that Zoe led all of them to her home spoke volumes for her trust in them. Upon entering the house, Arthur was found alive, and it turned out that the treasure was a massive lunch prepared by Zoe. Lucy was upset that there wasn’t a real treasure, but also understood the treasure was the journey of friendship along the way.

The reason I loved this particular moment so much was because it was the true first experience where Linus did something unconventional compared to how his job is meant to be conducted. Linus is to sit in on lessons, evaluate living quarters, interview the children, and always maintain a professional relationship with the master. The old Linus would have never gone on a pretend wilderness adventure because it wasn’t standard protocol. In fact, the children having a free day wasn’t protocol either. But not only did he step outside his comfort zone, he got to witness a few magical things. He was able to experience how great of a leader Lucy was and how the others respected his every word. He was able to see how the kids worked together as a team and made critical decisions, from the rationale behind sending Arthur to investigate cannibals, to the eventual body recovery mission. He was able to observe just how far Arthur and Zoe would go to make the children happy, giving them autonomy and playing along with their fantasies. He was able to demonstrate bravery in facing unknown terrain and single-handedly protect the kids against evil. He was invited into the home of a sprite, something that was unknown to even happen to a humans. And finally, he made a valuable impression on Lucy, Talia, Phee, Sal, Theodore, Chauncey, Zoe, and Arthur. Linus was more than just a stuffy case worker, and the others were more than just a priority assignment.

I’ll start by saying there was very little I disliked about this book, so my observations here cover off some very miniscule loose ends. The big thing being that it might have been nice to get a little more background into some of the lore and characters. We can discern that the world of the book is very similar to our Earth, but with both humans and magical beings co-existing. But at no point is it mentioned how that came to be. Were there genetic mutations that took place along the way? Were there aliens that visited and brought other species? Was this always how it the world was inhabited? I gather it wasn’t always so because why else had magical creatures been segregated, feared, and governed? Aliens might explain Chauncey, but genetic mutations couldn’t possibly explain Lucy (a descendant of Satan), or even Arthur (a mythical creature). Almost all the kids have no idea where they came from, which makes sense for an orphanage, but how did DICOMY stumble upon them? What studies were conducted to determine their abilities, lineage, and traits?

There is a suggestion that Arthur had been in love before with Charles Werner, a member of Extremely Upper Management, though it isn’t really explored much. We do find out that Charles was a previous case worker who visited the island, but ultimately used it to catapult his career in DICOMY. The mission Linus was sent on was given to him by Charles Werner, which made me wonder why. Why was Charles so interested in Arthur’s orphanage, a place he personally knew? And why did Charles want to know more and more about Arthur specifically? Is it because there is a history that we the audience are unaware of?

When Linus returned to London from Marsyas, his final report to Extremely Upper Management was incomplete to their standards. When they questioned him as to why he believed the orphanage should stay open, he reacted aggressively and defensively. Charles and the other members of Extremely Upper Management did not appreciate his tone and warned him about his insolence. Linus not only suspected he would be fired, but he also felt he jeopardized the future of the orphanage. In a shocking decision, it was decided that Marsyas would remain as is and no further action was needed. While this was the desired outcome, I found myself wondering why. What made them see the value in Marsyas and what were they after in the first place?

There is another faction of the story left unexplained, and that is DICOMA, the Department in Charge of Magical Adults. While it is mentioned here and there, it is unknown to us what happens to magical youths when they grow up. Despite being called orphanages, the kids are never adopted. The only adult in the story that we know of that has awareness of what happens after is Arthur, but he never explains how his adult life went leading up to this point. He only asks Linus if he knows what happens to the kids after they grow up, which suggests there is more to that story. Obviously, Arthur turned out well, but how did he go from being locked up in an orphanage to owning one of his own?

I pondered a great many other little things about the story, such as if cellphones or the internet existed. Vinyl records are mentioned a lot, and computers are described as having dull green screens. It could be that the story takes place in the past, but the small details were omitted. It’s worth mentioning that the sequel to this book was not published until 4 years later, so many may not have expected the story to be revisited. I also don’t know if the second book explores the unanswered questions or just moves onto new topics entirely. What I do know is that despite the small omissions here and there, the story was still well-told and quite enjoyable. Maybe I need to re-read this book one day and see what details I may have glossed over!

I went into this journey expecting far more fantasy elements than there actually were. I’m used to genres typically favoring what they represent, such as sci-fi’s having bountiful amounts of futuristic concepts, or thrillers having a ton of violence. House in the Cerulean Sea felt more like an overcoming adversity story with hints of fantasy. While the children were visibly different and sometimes used their powers, I would have loved to read more about how their powers worked. Just how far could Lucy take his nightmarish visions? Did Sal’s bites leave permanent werewolf effects or was it temporary? When Phee turned people into trees, did they feel pain or continue to have a consciousness? Could Theodore actually breathe fire? And what of Arthur’s phoenix powers? Sure, he could ignite in flames, but just how much damage could he do?

While the story didn’t overlook the magical aspects of the characters, there was an opportunity showcase some more magic. In the pages when Linus spent time shuffling by desks at DICOMY, perhaps we could have discovered a little more about Chauncey’s species. Again, there is some hope that the second book will explore more of this further, and that it was T.J. Klune’s plan all along.