Goodreads Synopsis
Delphernia Undersea wants to sing. But everyone on Blightsend knows music belongs to the Masters — and girls with singing throats are swallowed by the sea.
On the strange, stormy island of Blightsend, twelve-year-old Delphernia Undersea has spent her whole life in the cloister of turnaway girls, hidden from sea and sky by a dome of stone and the laws of the island. Outside, the Masters play their music. Inside, the turnaway girls silently make that music into gold. Making shimmer, Mother Nine calls it. But Delphernia can’t make shimmer. She would rather sing than stay silent. When a Master who doesn’t act like a Master comes to the skydoor, it’s a chance for Delphernia to leave the cloister. Outside the stone dome, the sea breathes like a wild beast, the sky watches with stars like eyes, and even the gardens have claws. Outside, secrets fall silent in halls without sound. And outside, Delphernia is caught — between the island’s sinister Custodian and its mysterious Childer-Queen. Between a poem-speaking prince and a girl who feels like freedom. And in a debut that glimmers with hope and beauty, freedom — to sing, to change, to live — is precisely what’s at stake.
Rating
Review
Hayley Chewins’ debut novel, “The Turnaway Girls,” is a lyrical and poignant exploration of freedom, creativity, and the oppressive structures that limit the roles of girls and women. Set on the stormy and enigmatic island of Blightsend, the story unfolds through the eyes of twelve-year-old Delphernia Undersea, who has been raised in the cloister of turnaway girls. These girls are trained to silently transform music into gold, in a process called making shimmer, while being shielded from the sea, sky, and the alluring danger of their own voices.
Delphernia, however, is unlike her peers; she cannot make shimmer but yearns to sing—a desire that defies the deeply entrenched laws of Blightsend where only Masters are permitted to create music. Her life takes a dramatic turn when an unconventional Master chooses her to leave the cloister, exposing her to the world’s brutal beauty and its dark secrets.
Chewins crafts a world that is as lush and vivid as it is menacing. The island, with its sentient sea and star-eyed sky, is rendered with a haunting beauty that mirrors the complex inner life of its protagonist. The narrative is rich with magical realism and fantasy elements that serve to heighten the emotional resonance of the story, making it a compelling read not just for children but for adults as well.
“The Turnaway Girls” is more than a simple tale of escape or discovery. It is a deeply feminist work that resonates with current social themes, particularly the restrictions placed on female voices and bodies. Chewins uses her narrative to weave a powerful analogy for the silencing of women and girls, making a poignant statement on the need for change and the courage it takes to defy tradition.
The novel’s prose is nothing short of enchanting. Chewins’ use of language is both sophisticated and poetic, making the book suitable for older children and teens while holding a special allure for adult readers. The story’s complexity and the elegance of its language set it apart in the genre of middle-grade literature, offering a richness that is often reserved for adult literary fiction.
Overall, “The Turnaway Girls” is a stunning debut that offers a fresh and fervent take on the themes of oppression, transformation, and the liberating power of song. It’s a celebration of breaking silence, challenging the status quo, and the redemptive power of art. This book is a beacon for young readers learning to find their voice and for adults reminded of the music hidden within them, waiting to be set free.
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