First published 1987
A hunter makes his home beside the ocean, content with his solitary existence. His life changes when he encounters a mermaid who becomes his wife. Their unusual household grows as they welcome a bear into their lives, then a lynx who joins their unconventional family unit. The final addition comes when a boy enters their world, completing this gathering of unlikely companions. Each new member transforms the hunter's understanding of connection and belonging. What begins as one man's isolation becomes a story about the different forms that love and family can take. The hunter discovers that kinship extends beyond human bonds to encompass the wild creatures who choose to stay with him by the sea.
Genres: family, animals, literary-fiction, 20th-century, fantasy, magical-realism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, unconventional-romance
Setting: Ocean
Period: 20th-Century
192 pages · Paperback · Knopf Books for Young Readers