Book Review: Coral by Sara Ella
Book Review: Coral by Sara Ella
15 February 2020
Coral is a modern retelling of a classic fairytale, but with a focus on mental health issues.
Coral is a young adult fantasy that is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, but with a twist.
It’s quite a dark version of the already depressing story as Sara Ella dives into the hard realities of mental illnesses and how it affects everyone.
Coral is a teenage mermaid, who sees the world differently to others around her. Coral is worried that she has caught a dangerous ‘disease’ from humans. Her older sister contracted it and it killed her.
Brooke is a troubled girl from the human world suffering from depression and anxiety who is being treated in a group therapy home. She doesn’t want to be there and her trust and respect is hard to earn.
Finally, there’s Merrick, a rich kid who hates his CEO father and blames him for his sister’s suicide attempt. He is searching for his mother, the one person he believes can fix his sister.
This is a complex narrative that is sometimes hard to follow but, overall, is an immersive experience. It does include a long list of triggering content such as suicide, self-harm, emotional abuse, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and unwanted advances.
As a new release in the Christian young adult market, this may be perfect for the teens or young adults in your life who want to explore real-life issues through text – but keep in mind the triggering content.
Coral is available at Koorong and all major bookstores.
If you need support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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