When We Believed in Mermaids, Barbara O'Neal

I generally read an excerpt of a book, or at least the back cover, prior to purchasing or reading; with When We Believed in Mermaids, that was not the case. I purchased the book and dove headlong.

This was a really good book, regardless of the fact that I felt Ms. O'Neal jumped into my past life and wrote about a very personal time when my family went through this type of trauma. Let me explain my word usage of trauma - the book will not leave you triggered, unless, of course, you too had a sibling who faked their own death or in my case, went "missing" and was presumed to have died only to turn up years later with family in tow, as was the case here.

I have an extremely difficult time reviewing this book from an objective point, as again, I had no idea what I was getting into so I wasn't properly prepared when reading it. I will give it my best shot.

When We Believed in Mermaids is very well-written, with two protagonists, telling the story from each point of view. I liked the style of writing, the plot was, obviously for me, very relatable - but I wonder if others may have thought, "Wow, could you imagine?"

My gut tells me Ms. O'neal wrote this from a fictionalized perspective, I mean really, who has actually had a sibling who faked their own death or allowed themselves to stay missing and would have had no idea how very, very close to home she hit. If I were to speak from my own experience, however, the ending would not have so easily tied itself into such a neat bow, especially so quickly. If only...

Do read this book - if nothing else, you can learn a surface scratch of what it feels like when or if you ever decide to fake your own death and leave your family wondering.

Very well done, Ms. O'Neal (but I'm not recommending it to my mother - I'm afraid it would send her over the edge, again.)