“Can you keep a secret?

Everybody has secrets, of course, but mine’s different, and it’s kind of weird. Sometimes I even have nightmares that people will find out about it and lock me up in a zoo or a scientist’s laboratory.”

By opening the novel with Emily speaking directly to the reader, Kessler immerses readers in the book as if they are part of the story, experiencing the events alongside Emily. By doing so, Kessler sets Emily up as a sympathetic protagonist that readers can relate to, even though they have no experience with being a mermaid.

“It reminded me of the time we went to World of Water at summer day camp. We were in a tunnel under the water with sea life all around us. It felt as if we were really in the sea. Only now I really was! I could reach out and touch the weeds floating up through the water like upside-down beaded curtains. I could race along with the fat gray fish that were grouped in gangs, weaving around each other and me as though they were dancing.”

These lines come shortly after Emily discovers her mermaid nature and show how easily she adapts to a new part of herself, as well as how being a mermaid is intuitive for her. Though she’s never swum before, Emily takes to the water effortlessly, shown by how she races with the gray fish.

“‘Wipe their memories?’

‘Usually, yes. It’s our best defense. Not everyone knows how to do it. Mainly just sirens and those close to the king. We just use it to stop them from stealing all our fish, or finding out about our world.’ She leaned in closer. ‘Sometimes, they fall in love.’

‘The mermaids and the fishermen?’

Shona nodded excitedly. ‘There’re loads of stories about it. It’s totally illegal—but so romantic, isn’t it?’”

This conversation between Emily and Shona happens upon their first meeting. This passage foreshadows the truth about Emily’s parents, as well as how Emily will fight to reunite her family and win her dad’s freedom so he can be with her mom again. This is part of a larger discussion in which Kessler explains how merfolk culture works in the world of the novel.