When the Sea Turned to Silver: A Christian Perspective

When the Sea Turned to Silver is about a girl named Pinmei who is the granddaughter of Amah, a great storyteller who knows many Chinese folktales. One day, the evil emperor has her grandmother kidnapped, and Pinmei and her friend Yishan go on a quest to rescue her. I borrowed this book from my local library.

I liked the air of mystery to the story, the characters, and the world. Questions are raised such as why the emperor took the grandmother, who is the emperor really, how Pinmei will and Yishan save Amah, and how much truth is in the folktales Amah and Pinmei tell throughout the book.

I enjoyed the folklore in the book and Grace Lin’s illustrations are beautiful and colorful. Her illustrations drew me into the story, and the cover art was one of the first things that got my attention when I saw the book in the library.

The writing style is different from most books I’ve read, and I liked that as well. It is poetic, and there seems to be a simplicity to the writing style. Maybe it’s because of the way Grace Lin describes things and the things she chooses to describe are different from most other books I’ve read. Some stories choose to describe as many things as possible when it comes to setting, but this book seems to focus on just a few descriptions about a setting. The imagery, metaphors, and similes the writer uses for the story are simple but also beautiful. There are times where I feel some of them are a bit repetitive or some different variations of another simile, but they are still enjoyable to read.

Pinmei, the main character, is shy and timid, which is something I can relate to. She becomes braver as the story progresses. There are positive messages such as doing what is right even though it may not be easy and even though you may be afraid. I liked some of Pinmei’s character growth.

One thing that I didn’t like about the book was that there were times where I wondered why the characters were telling a folktale during what I felt was an urgent situation. Why not give a quick summary of the folktale instead of telling the whole thing? Why not hurry?

Another thing I didn’t like about the book was the main message, which was that stories are the key to immortality. In the author’s note, Grace Lin explains that she believes that stories are the secret to immortality because they “are how we share our lives and what we truly mourn when they are lost. Stories are what connect us to our past and carry us to our future. They are what we cherish and what we remember” (Lin, 370).

The message is similar to the idea that no one is really gone so long as you remember them, that even though they are dead, they live on forever in memory. I don’t agree with the main message of the book. Though stories can help us remember people, they do not make people immortal. Stories may not last forever. Some are forgotten or lost through time, which Grace Lin acknowledges.

I think the idea that people live on in memory is partially based on the assumption that there is no life after death, which isn’t true. When people die, they either go to heaven or hell. The secret to immortality, or everlasting life, isn’t a secret at all; Jesus is the way, the truth, and life. If a person has given their life to Jesus, they will go to heaven and forever be with God, but if not, they will go to hell. As John 3:36 states, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Overall, the book was enjoyable to read, and I would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in Chinese folklore and children’s fantasy books. I plan on reading Grace Lin’s other books.

Citations

Lin, Grace. When the Sea Turned to Silver. Hachette Book Group, 2016.