A Song Below Water

A Song Below Water is a young adult contemporary fantasy/magical realism novel written by Bethany Morrow and published in 2020. Set in modern-day Portland with mythic beings and humans, the novel explores identity, power, sisterhood, mythos, and Black girl magic. Told from the perspectives of high school juniors Tavia Philips and Effie Calhoun Freeman, the story follows Tavia’s fight against oppression and Effie’s search for identity. Tavia is a siren, a mythological creature whose voice is seen as a controlling, fearsome force; Tavia’s identity is hidden to protect her from society’s discrimination and possible violence. Though Effie thinks she’s a mermaid due to symptoms like her love of water, dry skin, and floating hair, she has been involved with others turning to stone in the past. Effie was sent to live with Tavia’s family by her great-grandparents, and the girls soon consider each other sisters and best friends. They support each other to solve the mystery of Effie’s identity, the sudden transformation of people into stone, and the social justice movement to protect Black and siren lives. This bestselling novel was a Locus Award Nominee for Best Young Adult Book (2021) and an Ignyte Award Nominee for Best YA Novel (2021).

Content Warning: A Song Below Water depicts racism and violence and contains mentions of suicide.

Plot Summary 

High school junior Tavia Philips is secretly a siren, a magical Black girl born with the power to sing compelling songs to others, like her grandmother before her. In this contemporary world of Portland, mythological beings and nonmagic humans live together—though sirens are persecuted for their perceived manipulative, fearsome songs. Tavia’s father is adamant about protecting her and stifling her voice, so Tavia lives in hiding, her closest family and the network of siren-sympathizers protecting her identity. If discovered, Tavia could face discrimination and violence. She’s careful not to use her siren song; whenever her throat burns, she controls herself and uses ASL (American Sign Language) to speak instead.

Effie Calhoun Freeman was sent to live with Tavia and her family by her great-grandparents as a protective measure. Though her great-grandparents, Theodosia and Paw Paw, never explain why Effie needs protection, they believe a siren like Tavia will be good for her. Furthermore, a rare gargoyle perches on the Philipses’ roof; gargoyle myths frame them as guards, so Theodosia and Paw Paw think the Philipses’ gargoyle will protect the girls. Effie and Tavia quickly become best friends and consider each other sisters.

Tavia searches for her siren grandmother’s spirit in every water source, even the pool where Effie swims daily. Tavia’s grandmother passed away years ago, and her father kept the two separated while Tavia’s grandmother was alive. Tavia wants to learn how to stifle her voice, to become “normal” rather than a siren, so she doesn’t have to live in fear—though she knows Black people live with discrimination and racial injustice anyway. When she was 11, Tavia tried to strangle her siren voice by wrapping her father’s belt around her neck, but she ended up in the hospital for an “attempted suicide.” 

After that incident, Tavia was left with a scar on her neck and still wants to destroy her sirenness—especially since a Black woman named Rhoda Taylor is currently in the news. Rhoda was murdered by her boyfriend, who claims she was a siren who “made him” kill her with her compelling song. The trial instills racist discussions between her friends and in social studies classes, discussions that trigger Tavia. While Tavia struggles, Effie interprets her sign language and offers support. Tavia de-stresses by watching hairstyle videos with the famous Black hair model Camilla Fox.

Effie, an avid swimmer who plays a mermaid at the yearly Renaissance Faire, experiences chronic dry skin and itchy, dry scalp, which are getting worse. Tavia pulls a silky shed skin from her arm while she’s sleeping one night. Effie begins to think she’s a real mermaid, not just an actress playing a role, and keeps asking her great-grandparents for answers. Since her mother died and her father ran off, her great-grandparents are her only source of information. They don’t offer Effie any hints about her mythological identity, just vague lessons. 

At a protest for Black Lives Matter, Tavia, Effie, and their friends rally for the cause. The protest highlights Rhoda Taylor’s murder, since her boyfriend was found not guilty because he convinced the jury Rhoda was a siren. The group also fights for the life of a young man who was shot and killed by police. Tavia’s role model and hair idol, Camilla Fox, speaks at the protest. Camilla recently admitted to being a siren and using her compelling siren song to get people to listen, to respect and protect Black people and sirens. While Camilla gives her speech, police officers break up the peaceful protest. Tavia doesn’t want to leave, since she’s inspired by Camilla and the camaraderie, but the giant gargoyle from their roof swoops in and grabs her and Effie to protect them from police brutality. 

The gargoyle, nicknamed Gargy, flies them to the local nature preserve. He explains that Effie is his ward, not Tavia; his maker sent him to protect her. Effie hypothesizes that Gargy may be her father, though he doesn’t give away his identity. However, Gargy does smile like Wallace, Effie’s crush and the lifeguard from the pool.

Because of the protest, Tavia learns to appreciate her siren song, no longer wanting to destroy it. She looks into water and finally finds her grandmother’s reflection. Her grandmother teaches her a song called Awaken, which can awaken someone’s true spirit. 

As people suddenly turn to stone in the city and Effie’s hair keeps moving on its own, Effie’s grandmother removes her from the Philipses’ house. Tavia and Effie are distraught over being separated, and Effie’s grandmother won’t explain why she’s being taken away, only that she needs to be kept safe. The sisters agree to meet at prom soon.

After being locked in her room for a week, Effie is let out by her kind grandfather, who gives her and Wallace a ride to prom. They meet up with Tavia, but mean girl Naema provokes them, accusing Effie of being a siren. Tavia and Effie argue with Naema until Tavia explodes and uses her new siren song, Awaken. Suddenly, Effie transforms into her true form: a gorgon. She has a long, serpentine tail with scales, a human upper body, golden serpent eyes, and twisting, living hair. Out of control, Effie turns people to stone with her gaze. Wallace turns into Gargy the gargoyle and tries to stop her. Naema livestreams the event on her phone, until Tavia commands Effie to stone her. Everyone knows Tavia is a siren and Effie is a gorgon now. 

The girls fly with Gargy/Wallace to the Renaissance Faire tent, where his maker lives. Inside water, Effie slithers into a new world, where she meets her father, a gorgon. He explains everything, and Effie wants to stay with him. She and Tavia share a teary goodbye. From her grandmother’s influence in the tent’s water, Tavia learns her Awaken song can bring anyone back to their true form. She de-stones all those who were left as statues, saving lives and earning praise. Tavia finally owns her powerful song and makes a difference, changing the world’s perspective of sirens, as she’s called a “hero.”