Margins
The Water Child book cover
The Water Child
2021
First Published
4.34
Average Rating
275
Number of Pages

From debut author Ellen McGinty comes a heartbreaking tale of discovery and loss, inspired by the events of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Seventeen-year-old Tora Hayashi has always been irresistibly drawn to the ocean, lulled by the dream of becoming a pearl diver like her free-spirited, adventurous mother. But when their family moves to Tokyo, Tora's beloved Okaasan becomes increasingly withdrawn, opening up an impassable chasm between mother and daughter. Then Tora's mother vanishes in the middle of the night, taking only her most precious possession: a pearl-white diving suit, locked away when they left Miyako. Believing that Okaasan may have returned to the sea, Tora persuades her best friend, Sakura, to accompany her back to their coastal hometown under the guise of a spring break trip. There, Tora begins to unravel a complicated web of painful secrets about her mother's past...and discovers the real reason for the distance between her and Okaasan. As Tora struggles to regain her balance, the entire coastline is hit by a brutal earthquake. With buildings collapsing and tsunami sirens wailing, Tora and a group of refugees race against a towering wall of water to reach high ground. But when time runs out, it'll take every ounce of strength she has to survive in a world where the ocean she loves is now bent on destroying her.

Avg Rating
4.34
Number of Ratings
83
5 STARS
52%
4 STARS
36%
3 STARS
8%
2 STARS
1%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads

Author

Ellen McGinty
Ellen McGinty
Author · 4 books
Ellen McGinty is an author of Young Adult Fiction, co-host of The Spinning Pen blog, and lives in Japan with her husband and three wild boys. Her debut fantasy novel releases with Quill & Flame Publishers in 2024. Half her family is Texan—the cowboy variety—and the other half has lived in Asia for three generations. When not writing about brave adventures, she’s often exploring the unbeaten road.
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