Unfortunately I found this book a real struggle to read - it took me months to finish it, which is unusual since I can usually go through four books a week. As other reviewers said, I also had trouble relating to the characters and the story just trailed off with no hope.

It was such a disappointing read that it took until now to realise I hadn't actually posted my review. ( )

A provoking story of Marly and her fiance David. Marly is "damaged" inside and can't seem to find a way to be fixed. David is her lifeline and her outlet of anger and disappointment (in a very bad way). She nags, yells, demeans, and damages him thoughout the story only to regret it seconds later. The pages took the reader into Marly's mind and thoughts as she struggled with, what appears to be, depression and abuse, although they are never named. ( )

Well, it seems we are all in agreement! I very rarely struggle to finish a book, but it took me ages to get through this one. I, too, wanted to like it, but felt in the end that it was just so dark and heavy, it was impossible. While there are moments of beauty and light in this novel ("'What must we be to the fish,' she decided, 'all knowing and omnipotent, 'in their watery mirror but glowing ghosts or wide awake trees.'") and even small moments of hope, Bethell falls back on the darkness of mental illness again and again. I agree that she does a wonderful job of showing readers the inner workings of both her main character and her twisted relationship with David, but as someone who has never truly belived I am a "garbage can. I am trash" I had trouble relating. I kept waiting for light to shine through, to show that there is hope for these people, but no. The ending was disappointing, and I left off reading feeling nothing but relief that it was over. ( )

I wanted to like this book. The premise sounded interesting and the cover art was striking but I just couldn't get into this book. I found it to be so incredibly depressing and I couldn't dredge up any sympathy for the main characters. I agree with other reviewers that it would make an interesting case study of what a depressed person goes through and their mindset when they are gripped with such terrible melancholy. I do think the writer described the characters very well I just think the subject matter was too depressing for it to be a good read. ( )

This is my first book review ever, so please bear with me! To be perfectly honest I had a lot of difficulty forcing myself to finish this book so that I could write this review. This is not because the book was poorly written, but because of the painful subject matter. "Seahorses Are Real" tells the ill-fated story of Marly, a severely depressed young woman, and her well-meaning but co-dependent boyfriend. Zillah Bethell has written some beautifully descriptive passages. Some quite poignant. But overall I found the the book painful to read and very depressing. I guess that is to be expected, considering the subject. But I read for pleasure, and I got very little from this . This is not to say that the book has no merit. Zillah Bethell has done a masterful job describing the confused , irrational thought patterns of depression. However, this was sometimes drawn out to the point where I became confused, too. I think it would have been helpful if some back-story had been included to help me understand how Marly and David ended up the tormented souls they became.
Bottom line: I did not enjoy this book. As others have said, "it just wasn't my cup of tea." However, I believe the author is a talented writer and look forward to future works dealing with, hopefully, less painful and depressing subjects. ( )