Book in Review: “House in the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune

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Joseph Eichele

“The House in the Cerulean Sea” takes place in an alternate reality in which magic is real—but so are normal people, boring office jobs and soul-crushing nine-to-five shifts.

Madeline McClure, features reporter
April 20, 2022

There is something quite satisfying about reading a story so thoroughly agonizing and meticulously heart-breaking that it takes weeks to emotionally recover. However, my masochistic tendencies and my mental health have their limits, so for my final book review of the year, I picked up a copy of—a novel beloved by BookTok and Barnes and Noble enthusiasts.

“The House in the Cerulean Sea” takes place in an alternate reality in which magic is real—but so are normal people, boring office jobs and soul-crushing nine-to-five shifts. Magical creatures are ostracized and persecuted, and in order to keep them safe from their persecutors and their own powers, a government organization called the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) documents and regulates magical children.

The story follows a by-the-book caseworker named Linus Baker, a middle-aged man who has been working for the DICOMY for years. He visits orphanages to ensure they’re up to the standards of DICOMY, and he provides painstakingly detailed reports of what he discovers, which ultimately decides whether or not orphanages are shut down.

Linus lives an incredibly mundane and lonely life consumed with his under appreciated work until Extremely Upper Management gives him a special job. Against his wishes, Linus is sent on an assignment to Marsyas Island to observe and report back about an orphanage that has a peculiar headmaster and even more peculiar children—including a gnome, a sprite, a shapeshifter, an indiscernible slime blob with dreams to become a bellhop, and even the Antichrist himself. Yes, to Linus’ infinite horror, the actual son of Satan.

Despite his initial apprehension about these powerful, strange children and their propensity for mischief, Linus finds himself growing more fond of them each day as well as their headmaster, the cunning and handsome Arthur Parnassus.

If you couldn’t already tell from my brief description, “The House in the Cerulean Sea” is an incredibly charming story, warm enough to melt even the most frigid hearts—trust me, I know from personal experience. I can honestly say it has been a long time since I’ve smiled while reading a book. Seriously, my face hurt when I finally managed to put it down.

“The House in the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune was published on March 17, 2020 and was highly praised by critics.
“The House in the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune was published on March 17, 2020 and was highly praised by critics. (Joseph Eichele)

Linus is an extremely relatable character to introverts, people who are doggedly tired of capitalism and corporate life, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and cat lovers—so there’s a little something for all manner of hot and cool people. This is legitimately my favorite book I’ve read in years. Author TJ Klune is witty and funny and has such a delightful, whimsical writing style.

I was really skeptical going into reading this book, especially because this sort of thing has been done so many times before in less-than-interesting ways (Marvel’s X-Men, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” and “The Darkest Minds” to name a few).

I was so relieved and pleasantly surprised to find that this is nothing like those other stories. The diversity of the characters, the realistic gay representation, and the portrayal of systemic oppression sets “The House in the Cerulean Sea” apart in the best of ways.

I would recommend this story to anyone, but especially to folks whose hearts have been thoroughly tattered by wonderful but excruciating novels—seriously, it’s okay to give yourself a break and indulge in fiction that won’t mentally and emotionally incapacitate you for many days and nights! Please, go to your nearest bookstore and indulge in TJ Klune’s novels—reading them is like wrapping yourself in a favorite quilt or sipping a warm cup of cocoa.