Recent Reading: When the Sea Turned Silver

 

The first line of When the Sea Turned Silver by Grace Lin is

When the sea turned to silver and the cold chilled the light of the sun, Pinmei knew the Black Tortoise of Winter had arrived with his usual calmness.

This book is a charming middle grade adventure story that should appeal to boys and girls as well as adults. Here is the publisher's summary:

Pinmei's gentle, loving grandmother always has the most exciting tales for her granddaughter and the other villagers. However, the peace is shattered one night when soldiers of the Emperor arrive and kidnap the storyteller.

Everyone knows that the Emperor wants something called the Luminous Stone That Lights the Night. Determined to have her grandmother returned, Pinmei embarks on a journey to find the Luminous Stone alongside her friend Yishan, a mysterious boy who seems to have his own secrets to hide. Together, the two must face obstacles usually found only in legends to find the Luminous Stone and save Pinmei's grandmother--before it's too late.

 

While this is not a graphic novel or comic book, I did enjoy the art spread throughout the pages. Each of the 76 chapters has a drawing. Here are a couple of examples:

In addition, there are a few other illustrations spread throughout the book like this one below.

 

Having finished Grace Lin's adventure book, I am now ready for something different. My likely options include:

The Novel of Ferrera by Giorgio Bassani (800 pages),

Babel by R. F. Kuang (544 pages),

City of a Thousand Gates by Rebecca Sacks (400 pages),

The Recognitions by William Gaddis, (976 pages) or,

Women and Men by Joseph McElroy (1821 pages).

I am happy to listen to any opinions about these five books.