Leah R. reviewed on 5/14/2006 + 29 more book reviews

Miracle or fraud? That is the question everyone is asking in The Sooterkin, a novel that revolves around the bizarre birth of a strange child who appears to be more seal than human. As the extraordinary news spreads through the penal colony of Van Diemen's Land (present-day Tasmania) during the winter of 1821, mystified residents flock to investigate. While the local reverend hypothesizes a virgin birth, the town's resident science "expert" suspects that the pup may be akin to the mysterious sooterkin-a monstrous, mythical creature born to women in Holland several centuries ago. In spite of its unusual physiology, the child's mother and brother accept the family's newest member and protect him from the clutches of outsiders, who want to exploit the sooterkin baby for profit. Told with droll humor, and with a cast of quirky local characters, The Sooterkin is a vividly imagined talke of an upside-down world turned inside out. (back of book)

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