The Sirens

Emilia Hart’s The Sirens is a work of magical realism that reaches from the present day into history. The story is set in coasts of Australia and at sea, told through the lives of two pairs of siblings. One set of siblings lives in the present, the other in the 1800s. The sea is a powerful element in the story, which centers on family and relationships with their old traumas. Although I’m not a reader who typically focuses on relationships, the story had enough magic and the scent of the sea to keep me entertained. Perhaps a touch of more fantasy would have been nice, but it was fine as it was. The historical setting added its own colour.