The story of Ceto finding her humanity and understanding the love for her daughter was riveting . Sirenland land calls you in. If you are looking for something out of the box this is the book for you.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I really was only interested in this book because I am a mermaid performer in reality. A book that deals with mermaid performers in a gritty way is just something I’d never seen before, and I was very interested. I had literally no expectations coming in, but MAN were they subverted at every turn… and I came out incredibly awestruck by the experience I had reading this novel.

The story is shorter and employs a type of prose that reminds me of those heavy books you would read in high school for an advanced lit class (think Grapes of Wrath, almost any historical fiction…). It’s a heavy read and is more poetic than it is narrative at times, but it works in the favor of the allure and mystery of the story, as well as with the backdrop of a gritty seaside circus.

Something to know that wasn’t immediately obvious to me: the main character’s mother, Ceto, is LITERALLY A SIREN. The rest of the cast, aside from her daughter and sisters, are human but probably know she is a siren. The prologue is NOT merely poetic, it’s an actual narration of her background. She sheds her tail to lead a life on land to escape hunger. This theme is effervescent throughout the whole book.

As the introduction whirls into the catalyst to the main events of the novel, it becomes immediately clear what the themes of the novel are; this is not simply a gritty book about mermaids eating people (which only happens like once), this is a story of the dark side of motherhood, trauma, sisterhood in a world that is geared against women, and power. POWER. The hunger for power, the consequences of power. Power over life and death, power over people, power over places.

By the end of the novel, I was left reeling. I had no idea I had such strong feelings toward these topics until Ehrlich dredged them up in me in such a visceral way. Basically, if you have mommy issues, you probably want to read this book. It’s healing in a way.

This would be a 5 star book for me if I didn’t feel that it sometimes gets lost in its own prose — there were moments where it really hit, more often than not, but in key places it hindered the reader’s understanding of characters and events by being too vague about what the situation was. Seriously one of the best books I’ve read in my life.

This is a difficult one to rate if I'm honest - there were parts of it that I really loved and the writing was beautifully mesmerising and that WORKED with the kind of story being told (like literally, sirens you know, they're supposed to be alluring and mesmerising) and the slower pace and lyrical writing was perfect for that, however... it was also really difficult in parts to truly visualise what was happening, or understand the intricate details.

I think it came down to far too much being alluded to and not enough solidity of the facts? I truly couldn't tell at times what was going on which led to me trying to reread pages to get a grasp on something that actually, didn't have a grasp on itself to begin with.

That being said, I actually did enjoy it as a whole. I love a feminist style horror and Bind Me Tighter Still definitely had elements of this. I also loved the depiction of motherhood, as toxic as this one was, shown her - in fact all the relationships in this book were raw and fractured and tender in quite a toxic way but that's a realness we have likely all experienced at some stage.

All in all, a captivating read, I just wish it had felt a little more cohesive, rather than fever-dreamy.

📚Bind Me Tighter Still
✍🏻Lara Ehrlich
Blurb:
AUTHOR OF AWARD-WINNING, ANIMAL WIFE


WINNER OF CAI EMMONS FICTION AWARD and ERIC HOFFER AWARD


FOREWORD INDIE AWARD FINALIST


“A modern-day fairy tale that is both ghastly and beautiful.”—Kirkus


Mother and daughter mermaids navigate starting over and finding their place in the world in Lara Ehrlich’s debut novel.



The youngest siren sister, Ceto is weary of an existence driven by hunger, no better than a fish. She trades her tail for legs, marries the first man she meets, and bears a daughter—only to find domesticity as suffocating as the sea. Craving more, Ceto flees with her daughter Naia back to the ocean, where she reinvents herself as the star of a mermaid burlesque, performing in a lavish tank carved into the limestone cliffs above the waves.

At Sirenland, Ceto’s sensual performances and the erotic allure of her trained sirens transform the seaside attraction into a national sensation—a glittering empire where spectacle, desire, and female power reign. But as Naia comes of age and begins to question her mother’s vision, the boundary between empowerment and exploitation grows dangerously thin. When a shocking death rocks Sirenland, Ceto’s rule is threatened, and mother and daughter must reckon with the cost of performance on their already tenuous bond.

Bind Me Tighter Still is a lush, provocative exploration of power, sex, sacrifice, and motherhood—a celebration of female strength in a world determined to tame it.
My Thoughts:
If you love magical realism and this did have some light version of that wherein a group of women in a classic "mermaids" vaudevillian-style show are secretly led by a woman who herself used to live in the ocean as a siren. The novel revolves mostly around the dynamic between mother and daughter, following the push and pull of the two main characters navigating life on land as former mermaids. The novel is much more of an interpersonal drama than a traditional fantasy novel, which is not a bad thing, just not what I personally prefer. Writing was overall decent, no complaints in that department.In the first few chapters you also have so many characters present (but not presented), leaving you very confused, and this confusion only clears halfway through the book.
The writing and imagery were beautiful, I would recommend those that enjoy fantasy, mysterious, dark and emotional.
Thanks NetGalley, Red Hen Press and Author Lara Ehrlich for the complimentary copy of "Bind Me Tighter Still" I am leaving a voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#RedHenPress
#BindMeTighterStill
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⚠️Trigger Warnings: Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Moderate: Blood. Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment