Graciela in the Abyss
A drowned girl and the son of a fire clan confront evil and restore harmony in Meg Medina’s adventure-filled fantasy novel Graciela in the Abyss.
Graciela, a girl from a fishing village, falls in the ocean. A century later, she reawakens and joins sea ghosts in “keeping the sea in a delicate balance.” With advice from her guide, Amina, she becomes a Glazier, fashioning sea glass into gifts for the living. Graciela’s memories of her family persist, and she, like other ghosts, isn’t immortal. Then Jorge, an apprentice blacksmith, finds a treacherous harpoon made by his family that could kill the ghosts.
The ocean’s beauty and risk are captured in terms of moonlit waters and murky creatures known as needlers. Elaborate rituals surrounding the ghosts’ initial awakenings from their death days, their evolving garments signaling their progression within ghostly society, and their close-knit connections are contrasted with life on land, where Jorge’s family enacts cruelties. His taunting parents despise his dreams of toy making, and a villainous fisherman conspires to seize the ghosts’ pearl teeth.
Emotions ground the story. People contend with greed, fear of abandonment, and suspicion about others’ true motivations, all of which shape their decisions. Graciela, for instance, hides a secret because she wants Amina to stay with her, forgetting Amina’s own desires in the process. And Jorge, who is prone to trusting his moral instincts, is nonetheless torn after witnessing the abuses of his parents. As he and Graciela face their concerns and grow to understand the power of their chosen vocations, their shared quest to destroy the harpoon results in sacrificial lessons about caring for others.
Graciela in the Abyss is a glimmering fantasy novel about selflessness, duty, and friendship.
Reviewed by
Karen Rigby
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
