Parched
Paperback
Publisher: Crossline Press
Published: Feb 13 2026
Pages: 294
Weight: 0.65
Height: 0.66 Width: 5.00 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
This is not your typical mermaid story.
A baby mermaid washes up on an Oregon beach. A human couple on vacation finds her, names her Sheila, and takes her home to California. Humans react to this extraordinary mythical creature in ways both humorous and tragic. Some worship her, some fear her, and some want to steal her magic. Unfortunately, to survive among humans, Sheila must give up an essential part of her mermaid soul-her voice. As she grows into adulthood, the ocean beckons; however, as difficult as it is to live life on land, she's afraid of leaving the only life she's ever known. A wrong turn diverts her to Gresham, Oregon, a town eighty miles from the Pacific Ocean. She rents a trailer in a mobile home park and gets a job as an insurance claims processor. Can she find her missing voice as she struggles to find love and acceptance among humans? What will she have to sacrifice before she can find her way home?
This quirky magical tale of a mythical creature's encounters with friendship, xenophobia, racism, sexism, and drought will invite you to question what it means to be different in modern America.
Also from
Booton, Carol M.
Also in
Fantasy
The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, Book 1) (Indie Exclusive Edition)
Gillig, Rachel
Paperback
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Paperback
The Princess Bride Deluxe Limited Edition: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Goldman, William
Paperback
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Kuang, R. F.
Paperback
Japanese Gothic: A Folk Horror Novel of Japanese Mythology, Murder, and Family Duty Across Two Timelines
Baker, Kylie Lee
Hardcover
Assistant to the Villain: A Cozy Fantasy Romantic Comedy from a Tiktok Sensation
Maehrer, Hannah Nicole
Paperback
Before I Knew I Loved You: A Cozy Magical Realism Novel of Time Travel, Love, and Memory, Set in a Fabled Tokyo Café
Kawaguchi, Toshikazu
Hardcover
