Mermaids on the Moon

Elizabeth Stuckey-French welcomes you to Mermaid Springs–a sparkling, bubbly world where secretive mermaids swim, a psychic cat gives mysterious messages, and Elvis still reigns.

As a young woman, Grendy swam her way to fame in the kitschy underwater pageants of Mermaid Springs, a premier attraction of pre-Disney Florida. When she met her minister husband, North, she hung up her fins and moved with him to the Midwest. Thirty-six years later, a reunion of the Mermaids of Yesteryear brings Grendy and North back to Mermaid City, where they decide to purchase a second home. In no time at all, Grendy lands a starring role in the "Mermaids on the Moon" Labor Day spectacular, and life seems very good indeed. So when Grendy suddenly goes missing, leaving only a cryptic note behind, her daughter, France, goes to Mermaid City to find out what happened.

While taking over care of her erratic six-year-old nephew, Theo, who is most affected by Grendy’s disappearance, France explores the odd circles her mother moved in. Grendy’s fellow Mermaids of Yesteryear–or "merhags"–are forthcoming about every detail of their friendship except her disappearance, and they seem much more interested in convincing France to step into her mother's fins for the big Labor Day show. As France grows more concerned that her mother may have been a victim of foul play, she makes extraordinary discoveries about Grendy and wonders why the mermaids still talk about the night Elvis came to town.

With Elizabeth Stuckey-French's "wonderfully original voice and zest for offbeat characters" (Chicago Tribune), Mermaids on the Moon is a delightful immersion in a bracingly fresh novel with just the right mix of sly wit and warmth.

From the Hardcover edition.

When thirty-five-year-old France&'s father calls to say that her mother, Grendy, has run off, France suspects foul play and heads south to investigate. Recently reunited with fellow former &"mermaids&" from Mermaid Springs, FL&...one of the Sunshine State&'s premier, pre-Disney attractions&...Grendy had successfully revived her career in kitschy underwater pageants. But if she doesn&'t find herself or let herself be found soon, she&'ll miss the big Labor Day show. While the other fin-toting &"merhags&" regale France with stories of old&...particularly the night Elvis came to town&...they&'re suspiciously tight-lipped about Grendy&'s disappearance. Increasingly convinced that Grendy is in trouble&...and that a psychic cat might hold the clue&...she makes a series of unexpected, extraordinary discoveries about Mermaid Springs, her mother, and, in turn, herself.

A witty, whimsical, and refreshingly offbeat novel about the mysterious disappearance of an aging mermaid.

Elizabeth Stuckey-French is the author of the short story collection The First Paper Girl in Red Oak, Iowa. Her stories have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Gettysburg Review, Southern Review, Five Points, and other literary journals. She lives in Tallahassee, Florida, where she teaches fiction writing at Florida State University.