Pride Month Book Recommendation: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune is a heartwarming contemporary queer fantasy novel. The story follows forty-year old Linus Baker, a Case Worker in the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, responsible for overseeing the well-being of magical children in government-sanctioned orphanages. His assumptions about the world he lives in and the system he works for get tested when he is tasked with visiting the mysterious Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six magical children reside who have been deemed “dangerous” by the authorities. His department wants him to assess the children in this last resort home and their charming but mysterious and secretive caretaker Arthur Paranassus, and decide its future. The story is set in a world where magical beings and non-magical humans coexist, though as the story progresses, the nature of that coexistence becomes increasingly suspect. Magical and non-magical people live largely segregated lives, with magical orphans in particular being heavily monitored well into adulthood by a fearful and prejudiced human majoritarian state. What makes the otherwise by-the-book character of Linus stand out is his capacity for radical empathy for those who are different and vulnerable, and it is precisely this radical empathy that is offered as the antidote to hatred and prejudice. The true strength of this beautifully crafted story of finding belonging in an unlikely place, however, is in its insistence that it is not enough to have empathy alone. For love, empathy and acceptance to be meaningful, one has to stand up for those values and for the people who are targeted by the hate and prejudice in their absence. #pridemonth #pridemonthbooks #pridemonth2021 #pride #bookyoursummer #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookstagrammer #booklover #booklove #bookpride #bookreview #thehouseintheceruleansea #tjklune #book #fantasy #queerfantasy #bestbooks #queerlit #diversityinbooks #pridemonth🌈 https://www.instagram.com/p/CQFCXnrjGZe/?utm_medium=tumblr
