Secondary Character Saturday (13)

This is a weekly meme created to honor the characters that don't always get their voices heard, who support (or work to destroy) our beloved protagonists. This is for the third wheel in the love triangle (can you have wheels on a triangle?), for the BFFs, the family members, or even just the kind and loving (or deceitful and creepy) stranger who shows up and changes the game. We all know these stories wouldn't hold up without support so I'd like to take the time to highlight the best secondary characters I come across. This is an opportunity to talk about what makes these characters special, maybe to speculate what their world would be like without them, or maybe cast them in their own primary roles. If you'd like to create a SCS post leave your link in the comments and I'll check it out!

So today it's all about:

Maris from Lies Beneath


Really, any of Calder's sisters are worth talking about. These three girls are so twisted and just fascinating. Each of these sisters clearly has their own story and one that would be worth reading about.

But Maris. Man. I'm so curious about her. She's running the show. These mermaids do what she says, or else. She's cold, she's ruthless, and totally frightening. At the same time, you have to admire how fiercely protective she is of her family and of who she is. The moments where she shows Calder that the things she does are because she has to, not because she wants to, I saw all new dimensions of her.

Now I wonder, what has she gone through? What was her relationship really like with her mother? What does she say to her sisters when Calder isn't around? What does she think when she drowns someone? I really wish I knew what goes through her head - does she make decisions because of her nature or because she thinks she has to? 

Lies Beneath - Anne Greenwood Brown

Synopsis: Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him. (From Goodreads)

This is the second mermaid book I've ever read. I read one last year and didn't care for it at all. So I was wary to venture back into the genre. I chose to pick this one up because Anne Greenwood Brown is a Minnesota author and parts of the book take place in MN. I've also lived on a lake most of my life and so I was more than curious about mermaids that live in lakes. Granted, my lakes are no where near the size of Lake Superior, but still, it was intriguing. And I will say that, even though I'm not a big swimmer, I'll probably be a little more wary if I venture into the water this summer.

I'm so glad I picked up this book, because not only are mermaids a fresh creature for me, but the way the story is told is refreshing. I thoroughly appreciated both the fact that the story is told from the male perspective and from the view of the paranormal creature. The story is still girl meets someone more than human, is in danger, but falls for him anyway - but the voice is that of the dangerous paranormal - not the unwitting human girl. Just that small switch in perspective made all the difference. Calder was a great narrator. He's a guy who's under the control of all the women in his life. All he wants is freedom and revenge. Watching him struggle with his natural dark impulses and try to find a way to escape from that was fascinating. And when he couldn't figure out why humans acted a certain way, I was charmed by him.

His sisters are something else. I'd want to escape from them too. The dynamics in this family were complex and twisted. They're his support system and his lifeline, but they're crazy. Each of his sisters has some serious issues. They're great characters, as I think I'd be interested in reading about what each one of their lives had been like up until this point.

Lily is also a great, colorful character, but, even for a love story, she doesn't seem to be the main event. It's kind of like everything in this book is just slightly out of focus. And since either Calder is out of his element on land or Lily is out of her element on water, that writing technique is wonderful. Reading this book is like realizing you're having a really fascinating dream and you do everything you can to hold onto sleep so you can find out where your subconscious is going to take you. It has a quality that is subtle and just out of reach of explanation.

I love books that portray the northwoods the right way. The second Lily said, "Uff da," this book latched on to my heart. I'm very proud of my Minnesota accent and when I hear Minnesota speak I feel immediate kinship. But that's just a part of why I love this book. The setting is gorgeous, the characters are wonderful, and the writing style is just lovely.