The Mermaid's Daughter beautifully and skillfully combines two of my favorite genres: fairy tales and opera. Kathleen is a lovely, young soprano descended from a long line of tragic women. Her mother committed suicide while Kathleen was still a baby. Our doomed heroine has been suffering from pains in her feet and her mouth for most of her life. She is also obsessed with the ocean. No doctor or psychiatrist can explain these problems. Kathleen's composer father, Robin, is devoted to her, as is her lover and fellow-student at the music conservatory, Harry (Harriet). They watch in fear as her agony leads her closer to madness. Finally, Harry decides that she and Kathleen need to travel to Ireland to discover more about her ancestors and try to identify the source of her symptoms. At the same time, Robin begins to write an opera based on the fairy tale, The Little Mermaid. I loved this book. The story is divided into three acts and chapters within those acts are narrated by the main characters. I forced myself to only read an act a day to make this haunting, evocative tale last as long as possible. Although Ann Claycomb has been writing for years, this is her first novel. I can't wait to see what else she has in store for her readers. Ms. Claycomb is a rare and exceptional talent.