In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers. 

Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school’s junior year.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice at the worst possible moment.

Soon, nothing in Portland, Oregon, seems safe. To save themselves from drowning, it’s only Tavia and Effie’s unbreakable sisterhood that proves to be the strongest magic of all.

It’s getting a bit surreal now (well…it’s been surreal for awhile), looking back as my reviews from the last six months pile up. And they’re all going to feel just…inexorably tied to this moment in time. And I mean…some will stand out more than others, for sure. But Bethany C. Morrow’s book, A Song Below Water, will be one of the books I most closely associate with this time.

She & Tochi Onyebuchi did a live YouTube chat on June 5th to discuss A Song Below Water. But this was, of course, just days after George Floyd’s murder, and during the absolute height of the protests. So there was just so much going on, and…oof. I can’t help but think that, even though releasing this book amidst a global pandemic & a massive civil rights movement was certainly not part of the publishing plan, hopefully this beautiful novel was like a balm to some folks when they needed it the most. (The chat between them was incredible, and it’s worth checking out when you can)

This is the story of Effie & Tavia, teenagers living in Portland, Oregon. They’re sisters, though not by blood. The bond & history between these two incredible characters is evident from the first page, and just…I was instantly drawn into this story & this version of our world through these two.

And their world is at once exactly like ours, and not at all like ours. Something about A Song Below Water that I adored is there’s a distinct lack of hand-holding from Morrow. There’s no real info dumps to wade through. The story is told through alternating first-person POVs (Effie’s & Tavia’s) and it never feels as though you’re being told a story that happened in another world, you’re just being told a story. So in this world, there’s sirens, sprites, living gargoyles…and that’s just the way it is.

Tavia is a siren, and keeping that part of her identity somewhat secret is…challenging. Sirens, all of them Black women, are feared. And sometimes silenced. So Tavia’s very existence is threatened, on a day-to-day basis. And she still has to find a way to survive her junior year of high school.

Effie has this whole other life at the Renaissance Fair, where she plays a mermaid, so much of her life is spent in & around water. Effie has a complicated history that gets unpacked over the course of the book, and she learns a lot about herself and her family.

But as I mentioned, the heart of this book is the relationship between Effie & Tavia, and it’s something that just felt so unique & powerful. Their shared experience of growing up in a predominately white area is of course laced with hardships & trauma, but they find so much joy & love in being sisters. Oof…I just think Effie & Tavia are an incredible duo, and as I mentioned, I was instantly hooked into this story on the strength of these two characters & their bond.

This is a powerfully written, beautiful novel. I honestly can’t wait to see what Bethany C. Morrow comes up with next…she’s just a phenomenal storyteller, and A Song Below Water belongs on your TBR if it’s not already there!