Chlorine
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Description
Ren Yu is a swimmer. Her daily life starts and ends with the pool. Her teammates are her only friends. Her coach is her guiding light. If she swims well enough, she will be scouted, get a scholarship, go to a good school. Her parents will love her. Her coach will be kind to her. She will have a good life.But these are human concerns. These are the concerns of those confined to land, those with legs. Ren grew up on stories of creatures of the deep, of the oceans and the rivers. Creatures that called sailors to their doom. That dragged them down and drowned them. That feasted on their flesh. The creature that she’s always longed to become: the mermaid.Ren aches to be in the water. She dreams of the scent of chlorine, the feel of it on her skin. And she will do anything she can to make a life for herself where she can be free. No matter the pain. No matter what anyone else thinks. No matter how much blood she has to spill.
Book Information
Posts
Wieder mal ein super weird-girl Book! Ich hab es super schnell gelesen, weil es mich fasziniert hat.
Ich glaube ich hab ein faible für Wasser/Meermaid/Obsession-Bücher 🧜🏼♀️ also wenn mir jetzt eins mit dem Thema begegnet, werde ich es wahrscheinlich mitnehmen, da mir bis jetzt alle mit der Thematik gefallen haben. Teilweise war es etwas eklig, aber aushaltbar. Auch sehr interessant, wie grausam das Schwimmer*innen Business doch sein kann… Triggerwarnung Selbstverletzung auf jeden Fall.
Ich habe nicht gewusst, wovon dieser Debut Roman handelt, als ich ihn gekauft habe. Er hat zu mir gesprochen, ich habe ihn gekauft. Ohne den Klappentext zu lesen, habe ich dieses Buch begonnen und wurde in die Story eingesogen. Es behandelt super viele Themen; Leistungsdruck, Coming of Age, Identitätsfindung, das Bedürfnis dazu zu gehören und in seinem Hobby aufzugehen. Ein wundervolles Debüt, über das ich noch lange nachdenken werde und dessen Ende mich noch einige schlaflose Nächte begleiten wird.
Drowning in perfection
As a former pro-athlete, I was immediately intrigued by Chlorine. I’ve read plenty of books about sports, but very few that capture the intensity, the obsession, and the dark undercurrent that comes with dedicating your entire identity to winning. Jade Song doesn’t romanticize athletic ambition, she dissects it. From the first page, I could feel that familiar pull: the drive to be the best, the self-destructive behaviors we justify as “discipline,” the sacrifices we make without even realizing how much of ourselves we’re giving up. It’s not just about swimming here - it’s about addiction, perfectionism, and the terrifying beauty of wanting something so badly that it consumes you. What struck me most was how honest this book feels. It’s messy, it’s uncomfortable, and it doesn’t try to clean up its own chaos. Song’s writing has this lyrical, almost feverish quality that makes you feel like you’re drowning right alongside the main character, pulled deeper with every page. The way she blends coming-of-age elements with body horror and surreal transformation is unsettling in the best possible way. It’s not just physical metamorphosis, but emotional and psychological, too. And to be clear, this isn’t a heartwarming sports story or a gentle tale of personal growth. It deals with some heavy, triggering topics: harassment, eating disorders, self-harm, and body horror, among others. But I appreciated that rawness. It doesn’t sensationalize those experiences; it forces you to confront them, to sit with the discomfort and reflect on how often we glorify pain in the name of achievement. Chlorine is a haunting, beautiful, and deeply unsettling read. It reminded me why stories about ambition can be just as terrifying as they are inspiring. For anyone who’s ever lost themselves in the pursuit of perfection, this book will hit close to home - maybe too close. But it’s also a reminder that there’s power in facing that darkness head-on.
there are no chlorine mermaids...
Bin etwas zwiegespalten bei diesem Buch. Eigentlich eine gute weird girl, coming of age Story, welche die Themen Leistungsdruck & Zugehörigkeit zu einer Gruppe, gespickt mit sexual und power harassment, erzählt. Gepaart wird die Geschichte schlussendlich auch mit etwas body horror. Jedoch gefiel mir der Schreibstil (Ren ist soo emotionslos und apathisch, dass es mir wirklich schwer fiel, mehrere Kapitel auf einmal zu lesen, und mit ihr irgendwie mitzufühlen) und das pacing eher weniger, obwohl das Buch mit knapp 240 Seiten doch eher kurz ist. Cathy's Briefe jedoch waren wirklich sweet und stellten einen guten Kontrast da. Vielleicht sogar meine Highlights des Buches.
SO i saw this in berlin at a bookstore in a pride display, read the text and it said sapphic and coming of age and i was like hell yeah !!!! sapphic books are very close to my heart !!! i will buy this and i also love mermaids especially ones with a creepy touch (ever since into the drowning deep that altered my brain chemistry) i was not prepared for this. i used to swim in competitions too (not at a high level but still i used to go to training 3x a week r smth) and there was so much that resonated with me, the overachieving (in my case academically), the longing / love for your only close female friend when you are not straight, the trials and growing up a girl and especially a girl not interested in boys / more interested in girls there was so much in these 200+ pages that happened and there were some quotes that hit heavy, im definitely giving this a re read at some point and marking them also the slight touch of something mystic and otherworldly, from rans childish mermaid obsesseion to her actually becoming one ? and the moment u realise she is gonna sew her legs together but the pages you have to wait for it to happen ? the hospital escape ??? letting go of girlhood dreams and crushes ? no one talk to me im emotional hope jade song will write something else, i will be seated !!!
Description
Ren Yu is a swimmer. Her daily life starts and ends with the pool. Her teammates are her only friends. Her coach is her guiding light. If she swims well enough, she will be scouted, get a scholarship, go to a good school. Her parents will love her. Her coach will be kind to her. She will have a good life.But these are human concerns. These are the concerns of those confined to land, those with legs. Ren grew up on stories of creatures of the deep, of the oceans and the rivers. Creatures that called sailors to their doom. That dragged them down and drowned them. That feasted on their flesh. The creature that she’s always longed to become: the mermaid.Ren aches to be in the water. She dreams of the scent of chlorine, the feel of it on her skin. And she will do anything she can to make a life for herself where she can be free. No matter the pain. No matter what anyone else thinks. No matter how much blood she has to spill.
Book Information
Posts
Wieder mal ein super weird-girl Book! Ich hab es super schnell gelesen, weil es mich fasziniert hat.
Ich glaube ich hab ein faible für Wasser/Meermaid/Obsession-Bücher 🧜🏼♀️ also wenn mir jetzt eins mit dem Thema begegnet, werde ich es wahrscheinlich mitnehmen, da mir bis jetzt alle mit der Thematik gefallen haben. Teilweise war es etwas eklig, aber aushaltbar. Auch sehr interessant, wie grausam das Schwimmer*innen Business doch sein kann… Triggerwarnung Selbstverletzung auf jeden Fall.
Ich habe nicht gewusst, wovon dieser Debut Roman handelt, als ich ihn gekauft habe. Er hat zu mir gesprochen, ich habe ihn gekauft. Ohne den Klappentext zu lesen, habe ich dieses Buch begonnen und wurde in die Story eingesogen. Es behandelt super viele Themen; Leistungsdruck, Coming of Age, Identitätsfindung, das Bedürfnis dazu zu gehören und in seinem Hobby aufzugehen. Ein wundervolles Debüt, über das ich noch lange nachdenken werde und dessen Ende mich noch einige schlaflose Nächte begleiten wird.
Drowning in perfection
As a former pro-athlete, I was immediately intrigued by Chlorine. I’ve read plenty of books about sports, but very few that capture the intensity, the obsession, and the dark undercurrent that comes with dedicating your entire identity to winning. Jade Song doesn’t romanticize athletic ambition, she dissects it. From the first page, I could feel that familiar pull: the drive to be the best, the self-destructive behaviors we justify as “discipline,” the sacrifices we make without even realizing how much of ourselves we’re giving up. It’s not just about swimming here - it’s about addiction, perfectionism, and the terrifying beauty of wanting something so badly that it consumes you. What struck me most was how honest this book feels. It’s messy, it’s uncomfortable, and it doesn’t try to clean up its own chaos. Song’s writing has this lyrical, almost feverish quality that makes you feel like you’re drowning right alongside the main character, pulled deeper with every page. The way she blends coming-of-age elements with body horror and surreal transformation is unsettling in the best possible way. It’s not just physical metamorphosis, but emotional and psychological, too. And to be clear, this isn’t a heartwarming sports story or a gentle tale of personal growth. It deals with some heavy, triggering topics: harassment, eating disorders, self-harm, and body horror, among others. But I appreciated that rawness. It doesn’t sensationalize those experiences; it forces you to confront them, to sit with the discomfort and reflect on how often we glorify pain in the name of achievement. Chlorine is a haunting, beautiful, and deeply unsettling read. It reminded me why stories about ambition can be just as terrifying as they are inspiring. For anyone who’s ever lost themselves in the pursuit of perfection, this book will hit close to home - maybe too close. But it’s also a reminder that there’s power in facing that darkness head-on.
there are no chlorine mermaids...
Bin etwas zwiegespalten bei diesem Buch. Eigentlich eine gute weird girl, coming of age Story, welche die Themen Leistungsdruck & Zugehörigkeit zu einer Gruppe, gespickt mit sexual und power harassment, erzählt. Gepaart wird die Geschichte schlussendlich auch mit etwas body horror. Jedoch gefiel mir der Schreibstil (Ren ist soo emotionslos und apathisch, dass es mir wirklich schwer fiel, mehrere Kapitel auf einmal zu lesen, und mit ihr irgendwie mitzufühlen) und das pacing eher weniger, obwohl das Buch mit knapp 240 Seiten doch eher kurz ist. Cathy's Briefe jedoch waren wirklich sweet und stellten einen guten Kontrast da. Vielleicht sogar meine Highlights des Buches.
SO i saw this in berlin at a bookstore in a pride display, read the text and it said sapphic and coming of age and i was like hell yeah !!!! sapphic books are very close to my heart !!! i will buy this and i also love mermaids especially ones with a creepy touch (ever since into the drowning deep that altered my brain chemistry) i was not prepared for this. i used to swim in competitions too (not at a high level but still i used to go to training 3x a week r smth) and there was so much that resonated with me, the overachieving (in my case academically), the longing / love for your only close female friend when you are not straight, the trials and growing up a girl and especially a girl not interested in boys / more interested in girls there was so much in these 200+ pages that happened and there were some quotes that hit heavy, im definitely giving this a re read at some point and marking them also the slight touch of something mystic and otherworldly, from rans childish mermaid obsesseion to her actually becoming one ? and the moment u realise she is gonna sew her legs together but the pages you have to wait for it to happen ? the hospital escape ??? letting go of girlhood dreams and crushes ? no one talk to me im emotional hope jade song will write something else, i will be seated !!!