Mermaid Prince

Edition excerpt from Mermaid Prince (2024): Where do you belong? On the edge of death and danger, to feel life flowing through you? Can you find shelter in a space not meant for you? When new people move into your life, will there still be enough room left for you? From the author of The Gods Lie and The Golden Sheep. Mermaid Prince explores such complex themes in a series of short stories that highlight the beauty, wonder, pain, and loneliness that can come from feeling adrift in the world, as well as the joy that can accompany finding your own anchor amidst the seas of change. A Prince Out of Water Mugi is a big city kid struggling to adjust to life in Okinawa, where he moved with his sister and new brother-in-law. But to his only friend Matori, he’s a bona fide prince. Feeling out of place at home, Mugi runs away to Matori’s house and learns about legendary mermaids who will grant you one wish—if you can make it to them alive. This moving new compilation by Kaori Ozaki (author of the gods lie. and The Golden Sheep ) also features “Ametsukigahara,” a short story about a young girl trying to navigate the complicated emotions that come with growing apart from friends, and “One Snowy Day,” a tale of a librarian who encounters an unusual father and son seeking shelter from an unforgiving winter whiteout.