Lalani of the Distant Sea: A Filipino Fairy Tale [Family Reads]

Why we chose Erin Entrada Kelly’s Lalani of the Distant Sea

There are stories of extraordinary children who are chosen from birth to complete great quests and conquer evil villains. This is no such story. Sometimes, you are an ordinary child. Sometimes, you have to choose yourself. This is the story of Lalani Sarita, a twelve-year-old girl who lives on the island of Sanlagita in the shadow of a vengeful mountain. When she makes a fateful wish that endangers her already-vulnerable village, she sets out across the distant sea in search of life’s good fortunes. Grown men have died making the same journey. What hope does an ordinary girl have? Inspired by Filipino folklore, Lalani of the Distant Sea introduces readers to a landscape of magical creatures, such as Bai-Vinca, the enormous birdwoman; Ditasa Ulod, part woman, part eel; the mindoren, a race of creatures modeled after the water buffalo; and the whenbo — trees that eat the souls of the dead.

Goodreads

Our Discussion

Fairy Tale Atmosphere

The majority of our discussion was around the atmosphere of the story. We attributed the fairy tale/fable vibe to the narrative voice and structure, which allows moral messages to be delivered in what feels like a traditional storytelling method. Middle grade stories often contain a moral message, but the writing style and content of Lalani deliver those messages in a way that brings to mind traditional folk and fairy tales. This is something Ash enjoyed most about the book. For example, Hetsbi’s story is essentially a cautionary tale about toxic masculinity and the importance of standing up for yourself. The lessons within Lalani of the Distant Sea are clear without being too didactic.

“Never trust someone who wields power through fear.”

Pg. 216

Another factor that I thought contributed to the fairy tale mood were a handful of dark moments concerning death, abuse, and violence. These didn’t particularly stand out to Ash. But since I was familiar with the content of Kelly’s other works, I kept an eye out for them. To me, these events brought to mind the darkness of traditional fairy tales, more so than other middle grade fantasies.

Two Stories

Hetsbi (the younger brother of Lalani’s best friend) features in a plot line virtually independent of Lalani’s. Hetsbi and Lalani’s experiences are more separate and distinct that I usually read in a dual narrative, especially in middle grade. He could be completely removed with little effect on Lalani. But, as discussed above, his story also tells a moral tale, and he does help to bring good change to Sanlagita. Hetsbi’s story reads like a fable within the fable.

Physical Features

Another unique aspect of the book is the brief illustrated interludes throughout that describe the fantastical creatures. Reading an ebook, I missed out on the full effect of the illustrations. Ash shared her hard copy with me when did our video chat. Lian Cho’s style suits and complements the written narrative. We definitely thought they were more appropriate for the book’s contents than the illustrations in the last book we discussed for Family Reads.

Lalani is deceptively long. At 400+ pages, the physical book looks pretty long for a middle grade title. But as I read the ebook, I was surprised at how quickly 10% of the story went by. Then Ash showed me the physical copy that she read. The text has plenty of breathing room. It’s not nearly as dense as a Riordan Presents novel. We debated the merits of this design choice. I work with kids who might glance at this book but not touch it for how thick it is. Then again, having space between the text could make it more accessible.

Final Thoughts

I gave this book ★★½ and Ash gave it ★★★★★. In the end, I felt similarly about Lalani of the Distant Sea as I did Blackbird Fly and That Other Book I read. There’s something about Kelly’s books that doesn’t work for me personally. Lalani in particular seemed to be told on a level that I didn’t quite reach. Ash particularly appreciated the theme of female empowerment and the moral messaging framed through a fantasy lens without didactism. Recommended for upper middle grade readers.

Further Reading

• Author website
• Interview @ WBUR
• Review by Alex @ Randomly Reading
• Review by Sarah @ Puss Reboots
• Heavy Medal review

Have you read any of Erin Entrada Kelly’s novels? What’s your favourite folklore inspired book?