'The Mermaid Chair' takes readers to new depths

by Jennifer Conlee, co-associate editor

When Jessie Sullivan last left the island she grew up on, she swore she would never return. 

However, when she gets a disturbing call from her godmother, in “The Mermaid Chair,” a novel by Sue Monk Kidd, informing her that her mother has purposely severed her finger, Jessie finds herself back in her childhood home.

Since her daughter left for college, Jessie has begun to feel trapped by the roles she has played for years.  She readily accepts the challenge of discovering why her mother has finally lost her mind, in order to get away from her husband, her home, and the life she used to love.

As she begins to delve into her mother’s mind, she also starts to discover things about her own past.  From the beginning, the reader knows that Jessie’s father died in an explosion on his boat when she was a child.  Jessie knows that her mother’s problems derive from his death, and she begins to realize that there is more to the story than she knew.

While on the island, Jessie also finds herself falling in love with one of the Benedictine Monks who resides in the monastery on the island.  During the months she is on the island, she throws herself into the affair, discovering more about who she really is, outside the constraints of her previous life during the process. 

However, when her husband reappears in her life, she realizes she has choices to make, and she must reach deep inside her own heart for the answers.

“The Mermaid Chair” is an alluring tale of loss, love, and the search of meaning in one’s life.  Kidd writes fluidly, filling the pages with myths and lore to give the story a solid foundation. 

As I was reading, I could imagine I was on Egret Island, among the creeks and marsh islands, watching the Egrets fly right along with Jessie and Brother Thomas, the monk she has fallen in love with.

The pivotal point of the story is the monastery, which houses the mermaid chair.  The monastery has been devoted to St. Senara, who, according to myth, was a mermaid named Asenora before she was converted to Catholicism by the monks.

Before becoming senile, Nelle, Jessie’s mother, cooked for the monks, and it is the monks and Nelle’s two best friends who hold the answers that Jessie is looking for.

I fell in love with “The Mermaid Chair,” which was made into a television movie starring Kim Basinger in 2006.  It was well written, the characters were nicely developed, and the plotline was easy to follow.

I would give the book two thumbs up.  It is worth the read, whether it is read on a rainy day in a recliner or on a perfect day at the beach.