This was such an interesting read! I’m going to re read it for a book club later this year! Definitely not my typical read but I enjoyed it!

I leave this book feeling meh, in that there is potential, but it doesn’t quite reach the mark of greatness. The fact that it is marketed as a dark, magic-realism-esque, girl-reclaims-her-body-and-selfhood narrative, but is, at its core, an unabashedly, culturally American high school athlete story, makes the mermaid aspect hard to believe.

That said, I’m not sure it’s even supposed to be “real,” because, in my opinion, Ren’s story reads as mentally ill daughter of immigrant parents displays side effects of being a mentally ill daughter of immigrant parents. If mermaids are supposed to be real, more attention should have been given to developing that than Ren’s life as a contemporary high school human.

In terms of the overarching narrative, the stakes could have been built a little higher. This book is a short read, and while I got a sense of the ick Ren felt toward her swim coach, for example, she didn’t express enough of this ickiness to make her desire to flee feel absolutely necessary. And there’s some addressing of that, of Ren not lingering on these “human” problems that make them so “weak,” an association she doesn’t want to have, but her yearning for mermaid-hood doesn’t feel dire either, the narration of her desires falling flat for me, in that they merely state her wants rather than delving into them. And while the “plot twist” is certainly jarring, it doesn’t work to convince me of her desires because it stands alone without the support of the narrative build-up to make the turning point understandable and essential.

Overall, I came out of my reading of this book feeling like I knew and empathized with Cathy, the supporting character, more than Ren, the protagonist. And maybe that’s purposeful, but with the narrative framed around Ren, I’d like to understand and feel for her and her motivations first.

Tl;dr: This book is promising, but there could have been more to make it stronger.

This novel made my mind seizure. I couldn’t put the book down and then once I saw where the plot swung then I thought, “Nah, that’s not how this will end.” Then, the climax hit and my brain spazzed out. I loved the story. I also loved how I thought this story fit into a certain subject and then I was backhanded. No spoilers! I do wish the ending wasn’t so indefinite though.

Give me a novel about the struggles of being a teenage girl told through the lens of magical realism and body horror and I will eat that shit up every time!!!

This novel follows Ren, a 16 year old competitive swimmer whose whole life is consumed with swimming and trying to get a scholarship. As the book progresses we learn of her fascination with mermaids and her deep desire to become one herself. The book starts off with quite slow pacing which I initially struggled with but around the 70% mark things step up a whole new level and all of the pacing and character development makes the ending so rewarding and well pulled off.

Sometimes you discover a book that stays with you forever and this is 100% one of those books for me. The way Jade Song writes this character and fleshes her out as an unlikeable, kind of manipulative, obsessive girl is SO well done but also at the same time you completely relate to her, her struggles and all of the anger and confusion that comes with being a teenage girl.

I could write about this book for days but so this doesn’t get too long I just wanted to note some other themes/things I loved in the book:

- the way Song incorporates the experiences of having your first period and IUD fitted!!! bloody, raw and so realistic, this was the first book I’ve read that kind of depicts the complete anxiety of using a tampon for the first time and it was amazing!!
- the sapphic longing and tension!! throughout the book we follow Ren and her best friend Cathy’s feelings toward one another and there are also letters from Cathy to Ren in adulthood incorporated throughout which I loved!
- the exploration of the toxic sporting world and the behaviour from coaches and elders towards their students.
- the body horror!!!!!!

For fans of writers like Julia Armfield, Carmen Maria Machado, Han Kang, and K-Ming Chang, but also films like Jennifer’s Body, Carrie, Ginger Snaps and Raw- you need to pick this one up!!!

Two quotes that stuck with me:

“On the day of my first period, I was more dead doe than human woman. Was womanhood always so violent, raw?”

“A proper education, a predictable curse, a classic trait of girlhood: to be forever confusing your desires with that of an older man's.”

I received an ARC from NetGalley for review purposes.

Chlorine is a wry, haunting, and lyrical coming-of-age told through the perspective of a young girl (now mermaid) excavating the trauma and rage of girlhood. Ren is such a delight (and often, she made me squirm and/or scream) of a narrator to follow. The story often veers back and forth through different periods of Ren's life (generally, it's told chronologically. But the lines, as are the surrealist/fabulist structure of the novel, intentionally blurred.) Song does a wonderful job in relatively minimal (not in a condescending way) prose magnifying Ren's longing and anger. It's a story that made my heart ache as I was reading (and also provided some... humorous and embarrassing moments that were very identifiable to me as a former teen girl).

Overall, if you love surrealist/speculative texts and want girls who do not care how they are perceived, please take a look at Chlorine. I spent hours thinking of it after finishing the pages.

Chlorine is certaintly an interesting novel, and muh more interesting considering it's a debut. It's a bold, creative, self-assured piece, with passion pouring out of every word. It's very clear this is a passion project, and for that, and for many reasons, I hope it suceeds. While it is marketed as an adult novel, I feel like it'd be able to find a place among younger readers (15-onwards), and I hope it does, because while brimming with love, to me the prose felt more YA than anything else. Cathy's letters I felt were an interesting narration device, and my favorite part of the book, while Ren's narration at times felt like it belonged to a different book, with less nuance and, I thought, depth. But even with those flaws I was still enthralled, and I'll certaintly look for more of Song's works in the future.

Normally, selfish, uncaring main characters like Ren turn me off and create un unpleasant reading experience. However Song’s writing allowed me to watch Ren go into young adulthood, unsure of her place in the world which grows into uncaring. She fulfills her roles as expected while keeping her yearning a secret. The beginning is a bit slow but it is necessary to build the foundation for her later horrific actions. The pressures placed on her by everyone around her leading to her mental break is subtle and invisible from smaller characters but you see how they build in the end and how they result in her wish for freedom. Cathy’s letters, while not entirely necessary, add an outsider’s perspective to the conclusion. This was one of the few books I finished and just had to sit and process what I read. Excellent read.

A sapphic coming of age story about transformation. Ren is a first generation Chinese American teenage girl whose life revolves around competitive swimming, winning, and becoming a mermaid. 🧜‍♀️ I wouldn’t say Ren is an especially likable character - she is self-obsessed and somewhat manipulative, but this depiction of an ambitious teenage girl going through it felt accurate to me. While I found the story compelling and see the body horror elements it shares with books like THE VEGETARIAN, there was a spark of something missing for me that would have taken it from good to great. The writing is good, but not standout in the way the idea needed. Still, I think this one will have people talking and it’s unlikely I’ll forget it anytime soon.

oh, how i love reading books that focus on a character’s descent into insanity. i, too, am constantly on the verge of absolute madness, so lecturing books like this one is almost cathartic, in a way. chlorine is a wonderful debut novel that centers on ren’s determination to turn into a mermaid – a symbol of perfection, in her eyes. it also talks about ren’s experience as an immigrant’s daughter, but since it’s not something i relate to, it’s not my place to comment on any of the rep. if you want to learn more about the accuracy of the representation, please seek other reviewers.

i found ren’s voice to be quite unique – the author did an amazing job crafting ren’s character. she’s insanely driven, towering towards obsession and, somehow, it all made sense. i was very much aware of how unhinged ren’s thoughts were and yet i fully saw the logic in ren’s internal monologue. i also applaud the author for the open ending and how ren’s story culminated. although it made me a bit sad we didn’t get to see ren and cathy develop their relationship, it made sense considering ren’s character. cathy played such an important role in ren’s metamorphosis and i adored how fiercely loyal she was to ren, even during the times she couldn’t understand her.

chlorine was an amazing debut and jade song is definitely a promising, talented writer! i’m so looking forward to see the future works of this author.

Chlorine is a dark look at what competitive sports can do to high school students. The main character is a girl who loves mermaids and ends up becoming one, and this book is narrated from her looking back out when she was human. Not gonna lie, this book got kind of dark. I enjoyed seeing the contemporary take on mermaids and the immigrant family. This book felt very raw. I can't wait to see it what the author does in the future, as her voice is so unique!

4/5 ⭐️

Trigger warning : self harm, mutilation, sexual assault

Back then, I was a girl, a body of water, a liminal state of being, a hybrid on the cusp of evolution. Now, I am Ren Yu. I am 人鱼 . I am person fish. I am mermaid. And so goes my tale of becoming. Are you ready?


ARC provided by the publisher William Morrow through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chlorine is a fantastic debut book of up and coming writer Jade Song. The story is a modern and twisted coming of age mermaid inspired story about a competitive swimmer, Ren Yu, as she attempts to reach the expectations of her immigrant mother all the while going through puberty and achieve swimming greatness under the brutal coaching of a demanding trainer. It is a story that highlights the pressures of being a teenager struggling coming to terms with womanhood and shouldering the expectations of a high achieving student trying to please everyone in their life.

Ren, being an immigrant's daughter with a father that lives in a different continent, is shaped to become the person everyone influential in her life expected her to be. Though Ren herself doesn't know who she wants to become; her identity is put on the shelf multiple times as she is put under enormous pressure. Song writes Ren's story with masterful skill pushing Ren slowly to the edge with incredibly engaging prose. The slow ascent to unhinged madness as Ren is whipped to reality by the disappointments of her coach, peers, and family; pushes her to embrace the identity formed by her delusions.

You must know by now my mermaid tale is no such joyful narrative. And you would not be interested in this story if it were.


Ren's obsession to achieve perfection, shown through how strict she follows her regimen given by her swim coach, is a gradual process in her characterization. It is reminiscent of movies such as Whiplash and Black Swan. There are many parallels that I've found in Chlorine with these movies such as the demanding and ruthless tutor, the immense pressure from all parts of the main character's life, and the obsession that came to a boiling point of explosive outcomes. The way Song describes the atmosphere in Chlorine is the foundation that perfectly sets the tone of the story. It is undeniably addictive how Song crafted Ren's journey weaving in the factors that are relevant and close to real life.

For me as a reader I completely relate to Ren and her family. She comes from an immigrant background with a family originating from China living in America. It is a story that hits close to home for me as it is something I have gone through similarly in my life. I'd say Chlorine is such a great depiction of it, minus the eventual climax of the story. The references of Mandarin pop songs and nostalgic Chinese films is on point that it put a smile on my face as I grew up consuming those medias too. Some readers might think that these pop culture references are cringe or irrelevant to a story but for Chlorine it became a staple in Ren's characterization to add depth (as I find a commonality between me and Ren through these references).

But I was meant to be selfish—my self, meeting the fish. In a way, my breaking compounded my ascendancy, though it was never I who did the actual breaking. It was my head, the people, and the systems around me.


Chlorine is a love letter to mermaids and its various interpretations, legends, and myth of the story. From the happiest versions of the story to its darkest versions. Ren fell in love with the idea of mermaids when she was just a child. That love only became stronger as Ren found many signs that pointed to her identity. At first Ren denies these fantasies but then she embraces it when she is under pressure. The comfort these stories about mermaids has given Ren became her escape from reality to a point of no return. And through these stories Ren develops a coping mechanism to comfort herself that she will achieve perfection. After she fell from the pressures of her life it led Ren to completely pursuing perfection with maniacal madness until the idea struck true.

The evolution of Ren's characterization is satisfying to read from start to end. Song's ability to write Ren's logic is incredibly immersive as it is equally disturbing and awe striking how it all made sense even though deep inside it is balls to the walls unhinged. I would like to dissect Song's writing process because through reading the book I am just so immersed and engaged word for word. I liked what Song was selling and I completely bought it. Seeing the final form of Ren's characterization being shaped as each monumental moment moulded her thinking and the identity that she wants blew me away. It is a display of Song's ability as a writer to craft a story that is high quality. It's been a while since a book drowned me in the fantasy that I could not look away.

As I write, I feel the same fire from that streamline perimeter walk, relighting itself inside me, licking, inside my core, a slow smolder, a wholly different sensation from the numbing conflagration brought by streamline and the irritation of chlorine on skin—the feeling you give me is more like embers. Glowing.


The other characters that became a fundamental part of Ren's transformation and growth are written with equal care. Song's intent to push Ren through the side characters was so deliberate and precise. There are goosebumps all over as I see the shift in Ren's conscience and demeanour taking effect. One of the side characters that is a tool in helping Ren is her best friend, Cathy. Their relationship is one of the highlights of the story for me. I love how Song weaved in a sapphic plot line through Cathy. She has been loyal to Ren ever since they were young and she continued to be so up until the end. In a way Cathy enabled Ren's fantasy to become a reality as a result of her infatuation and loyalty. Cathy's longing for Ren's affection is intense and palpable that the tension is so high, as a reader I could feel it through my bones.

Final thoughts, Chlorine is a solid stand out debut that is immersive and atmospheric that is worthy of a movie adaptation. I presume Song's background in art direction plays a big part in their ability to write a vivid story. For readers that are curious about what the mood is like for Chlorine I suggest checking out the mood board Song has made on Instagram, check out @chlorinenovel. Chlorine has become one of my most anticipated debuts in 2023, I can't wait for people to read Jade Song's writing. Please support by pre-ordering or requesting Chlorine at your nearest library because this book has exceeded my expectations. If you like stories about obsessed competitive athletes, with stories about mermaids scattered throughout, lots of sapphic yearning, and lots of unhinged moments, definitely pick this book up.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

3.5/5

this felt like the fever dream narrative of an obsessive, delusional, ambitious competitive swimmer who's hell-bent on becoming a mermaid and leaving her adolescent, diaspora angst behind at last. i loved the intimate, self-contained nature of the story, the painfully vivid imagery of puberty and growing up, the intense sapphic yearning, and of course the unhinged ambition that propels the protagonist toward an inevitable goal. although there's a bit of over-explaining and repetitiveness at times, chlorine is an overall fascinating and compulsively readable book.

also, i liked how pop culture references were used to show ren's disconnect from american culture and her only anchor to her chinese heritage (can never go wrong with chungking express references).

What a strange yet enticing read! Definitely has some horror elements in the book. Some other trigger warnings would be sexual assault and blood and body mutilation.

We follow Ren, a Chinese high schooler, who joins her swim team and believes she is a mermaid. We follow her thought process behind joining the swim team and how she feels about certain people in her life like her parents, Coach Jim, and her teammates.

In the end, I’m not really sure if she is a mermaid or not. I feel like her parents who think she is just maybe misbehaving. However, no human could really breathe underwater and she really is a great swimmer.

I liked that the author also discussed menstruation and getting your period. The way she described the feeling of cramps is what I know about all too well. I wish Ren would have told people about her pain, but I also understand she did not want to seem weak.

This was a pretty fast paced book. It almost felt like the author was really Ren and telling us about her life before becoming a mermaid. I also enjoyed the letters Cathy wrote to Ren after Ren had left her in the water. The ending was bittersweet, but Ren ended up where she wanted to be.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a beautifully crafted novel. Parts of it reminded me of Catcher in the Rye mixed with a bit of creep factor. The trials our main character goes through and the things that happen to her... whoof. And that cover is stunning. Ren Yu's story will stick with me for quite some time.

A debut novel with a marvelous plot, CHLORINE is about a talented swimmer, Ren. She swims competitively in a club team coached by the touchy, nauseating Jim. Her father is off in China, her mother is pinching pennies and working, the boys can't keep their hands to themselves, and Ren only has one friend, Cathy. After a series of stressors and mishaps, Ren decides to become a mermaid.

An incredible premise, right? And there are some places in which CHLORINE shines (in particular, two visceral scenes occurring in the bathroom / shower stalls of the Pittsburgh pool, one involving tampons and the other involving Ren's tail). Though I admire the book's ambition, however, the quality of the prose leaves a bit to be desired. Clunky metaphors abound, as well as quite a lot of figurative language that's quite laughable, it's stilted writing, and I found myself yearning for a burst of language that might surprise me, a lovely turn of phrase. There's a fair amount of cliches, and some sentences are overlabored. In addition, the sections that are told from Cathy (the best friend's) are clunky with an implausible voice. I also wish that the sapphic relationship between Ren and Cathy were rendered with more nuance, rather than being so one-note, in which Cathy is enamored and Ren almost entirely focused on her transformation. The repetitive language reduces a lot of the frisson I wanted to read.

I really, really had high hopes for this novel after being so excited by the blurb, but unfortunately it was left wanting in execution. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it, and certainly those with a greater tolerance for middling prose would enjoy the book's riveting plot and premise.

3.5 stars, rounded up.