Jade Song

Chlorine

Kaelan Chambers

Wonderfully weird. And unexpectedly gruesome.

Isabella 

i liked how the author wrote this book. great work showing blurred lines between reality and fantasy.

JoAnna

In Chlorine, Ren Yu recounts her lonely past as a top competitive swimmer - and how she ultimately finds a way to transcend her human pain. A bold, defiant voice reigns in the prose as Ren navigates casual racism from her all-white peers, the quiet disappointment of her father's return to China, a complicated and harmful dynamic with her coach Jim, and the ever-present pressures of the pool. I related so much to Ren's disillusionment with American culture, especially the expectation to know classic songs she'd never been exposed to at home. Class underbellies the story, and it isn't positioned as a threat in the plot but as an unrelenting, constant concern. 

I loved Song's use of religious images and metaphors. References to Poseidon and other deities – and Ren's authoritative manner of speech – worked well to position her above her mortal peers, and cemented her transcendence beyond human concerns. The prose is immersive, sprawling, and rife with visceral, sensory images. I especially loved the descriptions of the pool, the locker room, and everything that transpires there in all its bloody glory. I adored the idea of Ren as the queen of infinite space. I will never forget the ending.

farrah 

actual rating: 2.75

this book had sooo much potential but fell short in so many ways. the writing style/ren’s voice read like a teenager trying too hard to be edgy and it just doesn’t quite work here. sucks because the synopsis had me expecting something along the lines of black swan meets tusk but it didn’t go as dark as i wanted it to go.

Chlorine

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