Short Fiction Friday: The Mermaid Girl by Erika Swyler + a Giveaway

Last summer I had the pleasure of reading and featuring Erika Swyler's utterly spellbinding debut novel, The Book of Speculation. Well with the paperback due out at the end of the month, it seems the it's time for another little taste of Swyler's fabulous world.

In The Book of Speculation we meet Simon Watson, a research librarian with a strange family history. His mother drowned when he was just a boy and, as it turns out, she's not the first in her line to have passed so tragically. And though we get to know Simon's parents just a bit through his own story, Paulina and her husband, Daniel, are long gone by the time Book of Speculation begins.

"The Mermaid Girl" fills the gaps left by Book, telling of the time before Paulina's death, giving insight into her mindset and such in those early days.

Daniel was smitten with Paulina when he saw her floating in the mermaid tank. And after years of traveling and moving around, the circus girl decided she was ready to settle down. But life in one place is much different than life in a traveling circus. Paulina is plagued by migraines and fights daily against the pull of her former life. Daniel feels it, too, and worries about what it means for his family.

This is a strange little tale, one that clearly shows Paulina's growing concern and obsession over a fate she's read over and over in the cards. It's a fate those who have read The Book of Speculation are very aware of as well. It was fun to see young Simon beginning to become the man he'll be in the later story - already showing a fondness for old books and such. And it was a pleasant return to these characters and this world!

And now for the giveaway! I have a hardcover copy of The Book of Speculation to give away to one of your lucky readers today! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, May 23. Open US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway