Man o' war

Review by Booklist Review

River McIntyre, a gifted swimmer, finds themselves increasingly relating to the creatures held captive at the Sea World--esque marine park in their hometown. When a chance encounter with the confident, gender-fluid classmate they used to bully catches River by surprise, they are struck by overwhelming emotion, which upends their sense of self and sends them into a tailspin. This inner turmoil leads River to, literally, throw themselves to the sharks. Recovering from and finding meaning in this incident involves a grueling process of losing and gaining loved ones, "falling out of the wrong closet," learning to recognize and face both gender dysphoria and alienation from their Arab American identity, and the challenging but sweet process of falling in love. McCarthy adeptly presents the humor and heartbreak of River's journey, avoiding easy answers and embracing nuance. Readers will root for River through the pain, anger, and swim meets and be rewarded with a love story destined to make a splash.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Trans nonbinary swimmer River McIntyre, who is Irish and Arab American, is a high school sophomore when a chance encounter with white, agender former classmate Indigo "Indy" Waits, at their Ohio hometown's aquarium, causes River to fall "out of the closet, literally into a shark tank." Over the next several years, River navigates dysphoria, internalized queerphobia, and their swim coach's bigotry, all while feeling disconnected from their Lebanese heritage due to their mother's trauma from post-9/11 racism. As self-accepting Indy helps River on their journey of self-discovery, the two develop a romantic relationship that's as complicated as it is tender. Multiple time jumps, some spanning years (the story follows River into adulthood), interrupt the book's flow at points, rendering important relational developments off-page. But in River's memorable voice, McCarthy (Once and Future) strikes a balance between piercing wit and aching vulnerability, while River's interest in sea life provides a compelling, complex metaphor for their own fluid gender identity. The result is a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of what it's like to feel trapped--and how to make it out. Ages 14--up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (May)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Trapped in Ohio and tortured by others' expectations of "normal," nonbinary Irish and Lebanese American River McIntyre can no more imagine freedom than the animals at the local aquarium can imagine the ocean. That is, until an unexpected encounter propels them into the overwhelming waters of self-discovery. A man-of-war is not a jellyfish, and River McIntyre can't be the White daughter their Lebanese mother wants or please their swim coach, but they don't know why they are unhappy. When Indy Waits, a White, unapologetically queer former classmate, resurfaces during River's school field trip to the marine life theme park SeaPlanet, River confronts repressed memories and feelings by diving into the shark tank. At first, Indy wants nothing to do with the charismatic and self-destructive River, but their lives keep colliding as if pulled together by the tides. Spanning sophomore year of high school into adulthood, this blend of romance and coming-of-age story depicts a refreshingly messy journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Internalized racism and trauma create a fraught dynamic in River's relationship with their mother, which McCarthy navigates with nuance. Poignant, self-reflective prose is bolstered by carefully crafted, overarching marine themes and imagery. Love plays a significant role in River's growth, but neither dependence on a partner nor a dramatic, teen-movie coming-out moment are what carry them into a healthier life. A beautiful and relentless current of emotion. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Chapter 4 "That thing about diving into the shark tank? That was mostly an accident." The SeaPlanet hiring manager, a Mr. Sims, scrolled through my application. I could tell when he'd gotten to the interesting part because his finger came to an abrupt halt on the tablet screen. The air-­conditioning unit, which must have been left over from the Civil War, filled the tin human-­resources trailer with a battle hum. "I heard about the kid in the shark tank, although I was at the Orlando park then. Was that last season?" "Year and a half ago. There was a five-hundred-­day ban on my presence here. And that was up . . . yesterday. Which I took as a good sign." His face did not betray his thoughts. "A good sign to apply to work here?" "I live three miles away. Where else should I work?" Sims leaned back and his chair gave a tiny scream. He seemed tired like an old white man, but I guessed his age was somewhere greater than undergrad and less than adult. He'd probably been interviewing high school kids every twenty minutes for the last three weeks straight. I could picture his fridge: Bud Light Lime and oxidized sriracha. "That's not the answer we hope for at SeaPlanet," he concluded. "Oh, right. I want to become an oceanographer," I amended with all the vocal enthusiasm of Siri. "The ocean speaks to me, and I must follow its call." "How many times have you been to the ocean?" Low blow. Ohio was landlocked states deep. Unless you count Lake Erie, and if you've ever seen Lake Erie, you wouldn't. "The locals here are always so insulated." Sims shook his head. A local at SeaPlanet of Ohio is better than a franchise bitch. My counselor would be so proud that I'd held that one in. Something about coming out this past year had left me saltier than ever. Sims clicked a box on the screen, and it made a netch sound. " 'Aspires to biology or related career' works just fine. I have a feeling your classmates have helped you game the system." "You don't have to ask the same questions every single year." "As if I write the questions." He was nearly smiling, which was weird. He couldn't actually be considering hiring me. I'd told Taylor this was a complete waste of time--­why would SeaPlanet hire someone who was behind the park's "second-­worst insurance nightmare"?--­but she'd insisted we apply. And what the girlfriend wants, the girlfriend gets. "So, how does one accidentally fall into a shark tank?" " Mostly an accident. I didn't plan on diving in. And I know how suspicious it seems because I was wearing my suit, but I always did that back then." And lesson learned in antibiotics and Diflucan . "I was going through something, but I'm done there." Which was true. Now instead of frequenting the gyno, I saw a licensed mental health counselor for my bimonthly dose of why me. "The sharks didn't bite. Not even a nibble," I told him, remembering the burn of the frigid water loaded with salinization chemicals. Sims was right; I'd never been to the ocean, but I was pretty sure the sea didn't scald like that. "Everyone wants to know if the sharks bit me, but you've seen the tank, those are low-­level sharks. Under four feet. I was a big, crashing predator. Also, I found out afterward that sharks in captivity turn anorexic and pretty much always die of starvation within a year." I could tell that this was new intel to Sims, but not a deal breaker. One needed flexible morals to work here. "Everyone overreacted, if you ask me." Sims stared like I'd been talking for a long time. I wrapped it up. "It's not like SeaPlanet took out a permanent restraining order. I wrote an apology to the owner of the park, and he wrote me back." I pointed to the tablet. "I attached the pdf in references." "Would you do it again?" He was asking if I had plans to drop myself into another tank, but it felt like he was asking if I'd come out again. Hold my breath through the shark-­week-­turned-­entire-­season, answering every intrusive question from family, friends, and foes like a robot who could only say lesbian. "No." He looked at his tablet and returned to the mandatory questions, his own programming kicking in. "If you were babysitting, and there was a knock on the door and the baby started crying and you were cooking something on the stove, what would you do?" "Question my life choices." "You have to answer if you want me to consider your application. Sarcastic charisma isn't on this checklist, River." "River?" I repeated. "Rain?" His finger poised to scroll all the way back up my application to my name but his expression begged for me to just tell him. Finally he found it on the screen. "Knew it was a water name. So I was pretty close." He squinted at the tablet. "Your answer?" "I'd check on the baby, turn off the stove, and answer the door." Nailed it. Taylor had drilled me on this ridiculous question at lunch. Apparently how swiftly you answered mattered a lot more than what you said. They hired quick thinkers and multitaskers at SeaPlanet; like I said, morality was optional. Excerpted from Man o' War by Cory McCarthy All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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