The Oyster Thief

A Novel

Sonia Faruqi

A Globe and Mail "Best Book of the Year"

Two worlds collide when a mermaid and human man meet, plunging readers into a vast underwater realm brimming with adventure and intrigue.

Coralline is a shy mermaid in the Atlantic Ocean whose idyllic life is ruined by an oil spill that gravely sickens her little brother. Desperate to save him, she embarks on a quest to find a legendary elixir.

She encounters a human man, Izar, who's left his life on land behind to find a cure for his dying father. He doesn’t tell her that his family runs Ocean Dominion, an enemy corporation whose ships plunder her waters daily.

Fate pushes the two of them together, even though their worlds are at odds. Accompanied by a colorful troupe of animals, Coralline and Izar travel through coral reefs and seabed cities, trailed by murderous adversaries and warring ships. Their secrets threaten to tear them apart, while a growing attraction adds to the danger. Ultimately, each of them faces an impossible choice. Should Coralline remain with the world she knows, including her fiancé, or should she relinquish everything for a stranger who might betray her? And Izar holds a secret of his own—one that might cause him to lose Coralline forever.

Magnificent and moving, set against a breathtaking ocean landscape, The Oyster Thief is an enthralling fantasy destined to become a classic.

Sonia Faruqi graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College. After working as an M&A analyst on Wall Street, she relinquished money, family, community, even safety for Project Animal Farm, and has since devoted herself to improving animal welfare and reforming our current system of food production.  She lives in Ontario, Canada, and is a frequent speaker on animal agriculture throughout North America.

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Endorsements & Reviews

"Sonia Faruqi had me at the word 'mermaid.' The Oyster Thief creates a lush, imaginary underwater world that somehow manages to reinforce the reality of the need for environmental awareness—it’s unlike anything I’ve ever read." Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of 'A Spark of Light' and 'Small Great Things'

"Sonia Faruqi has created an imaginative, fast-paced adventure with a strong theme of ocean conservation. Bravo! May many read, and heed, its message." Jonathan Balcombe, author of 'What a Fish Knows'

"The Oyster Thief deftly weaves a mermaid’s tale while bringing real and urgent ocean conservation issues to the reader’s attention. Dive in and enjoy!" Dr. Sylvia Earle, award-winning ocean scientist and National Geographic explorer-in-residence

"Ecologically informed but whimsically imagined. Adult fans of movies such as The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo will find Coralline’s adventures delightful, and Faruqi’s caricatured villains are satisfyingly hateful." Publishers Weekly

"A richly realized underwater tale set in Meristem in the central Atlantic Ocean. That is, until we reach the jewel at the novel’s center. Here Faruqi riffs on the importance of honoring your own radiance, and it truly shines." The Toronto Star

"The world’s first ocean conservation novel. Faruqi possesses a unique ability to create a fantastical underwater world while tying in explicit scientific facts that reflect her background in investigative journalism. An entertaining and informative mix of ocean science and literary fiction." Forbes

"The Oyster Thief is a wildly imaginative journey on land and in the ocean that will have you anxiously turning pages late into the night to discover the fate of Coralline and Izar—and the underwater world itself. Beautifully written and emotionally complex. Anyone who is a fan of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game will fall in love with this novel." Julie McElwain, author of 'A Murder in Time'