Selkie - Hardcover

by Nataly Gruender (Author)

From the author of Medusa comes a beautiful and emotional story featuring a selkie: a mythological creature who can turn from a seal into a human.

"Luxurious and moving." --Lauren Kate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fallen series

Seven years ago, Quinn finally dared to transform from a seal into a human and took her first steps on land. As a selkie, she is both a daughter of land and sea. But when a human stole her pelt, he stole her freedom as well, forcing Quinn to become his wife and bear his children. As legend tells, capturing a selkie will bring you luck, and she became a coveted prize.

Constrained to a life that was no longer her own, Quinn longed for nothing more than to find her pelt and seize her freedom. Then one day, her eldest daughter hands Quinn her pelt and without a second thought, Quinn snatches it and escapes to the sea. But she's no longer used to swimming and doesn't know where her herd has gone. And after an almost disastrous encounter with her former husband, leaving her severely injured, Quinn doesn't have the strength to go searching.

Instead, she finds herself taking shelter on a nearby island with a lighthouse and three lighthouse keepers. Quinn doesn't trust humans anymore and wants to stay hidden from the keepers. But she can't survive on her own. Can she learn to trust these humans and shed her hatred of all humankind? Or will she give into her fears and accept the monstrous fate that others have bestowed upon her?

"With Selkie, Nataly Gruender invites her readers on a deep dive into the mystical world of magic and maybe. Quinn's story is a charming tale of identity, second chances, and found family." -Lauren J.A. Bear, author of Mother of Rome

"An enchanting tale about autonomy and trust. Toggling between past and present, Gruender uses mythology to show the best and worst of humanity. The result is sure to please readers looking for folkloric retellings outside of Greek mythology." -Publishers Weekly

Author Biography

Nataly was born and raised in Arizona and found an escape from the desert heat through her library card. She studied English, Creative Writing, and Classics at the University of Arizona and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course. Giving in to the siren call of New York, Nataly booked it across the country, and when she's not working or writing she likes to pet other people's dogs and spend too much time in used bookstores. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.