I was introduced to this book at a Book Culture in New York right next to Columbia University when I asked for a standalone fantasy book. An employee pulled out The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, compared it to Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens, and called it sweet and gay. Indeed, one of the quotes on the cover said, "It is like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket." Immediately intrigued, I bought it, and I was not disappointed.
Linus Baker is a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (or DICOMY for short). He inspects government-sanctioned orphanages caring for magical children to ensure the children are thriving and everything follows the departmentally-issued RULES AND REGULATIONS handbook. He has only his cat for company at home and has never strived for anything more in his seventeen years of employment at DICOMY.
Linus' simple life is overturned when Extremely Upper Management gives him a strange and highly classified assignment: he must spend a month at the Marsyas Island Orphanage and determine whether the orphanage can remain open. The orphanage is different from any other Linus has visited because of its inhabitants: a female gnome, one of the last existing wyverns, a were-Pomeranian, an unidentified green blob, a sprite, and the Antichrist. Perhaps the most interesting is their caretaker, Arthur Parnassus, a charming man who will do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means exposing his own secrets.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is an adorable read from start to finish. I immediately agreed with the comparison to Good Omens—it is whimsical and funny while still delivering a touching story of love and family. I fell in love with the children just as Linus did and shared in their triumphs and failures. I cursed the evildoers and cheered when the characters succeeded. After reading the last page, my heart felt full and happy.
This book was published in 2020, which is evident in the way it alludes to current events and the hopes for a better world. Unsurprisingly, the existence of magical creatures creates a divide between them and "normal" humans, which can aptly be compared to the prejudice against people of color and those belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. Even so, it provides a welcome escape as a pandemic-era book while subtly educating its readers and helping them open their minds to people different from them. It never felt preachy and instead seemed very agreeable and approachable.
I honestly don't have anything bad to say about this book. I loved every word of it, and I hope any fan of gay fantasy gives it a read. I happily rate The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune 5/5 stars.
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