"Maud Lavin’s Latest is a Fantastical Romp Based in Reality" by Melissa Flores Anderson

Maud Lavin’s latest novel, Mermaids and Lazy Activists, A Lake Michigan Tale is equal parts ode to Lake Michigan, to the indie writing scene (and writers) and a call to action to take greater care of the waterways that support us. Set in Chicago, the story takes readers to many of Lavin’s favorite spots, including the Printers Row Wine Bar, where she hosts regular readings of poets and writers from around the Midwest (and sometimes further afield like this particular writer from California) and 57th Street Beach. In fact, Maud is a central character in this meta twist, and the story is almost “Being John Malkovich” meets “Splash.”

Story Maud makes the acquaintance of Evelyn, a midwestern freshwater mermaid on one of her swims in the lake. Instead of being shocked by this discovery, Maud befriends the bold and irreverent, but still midwestern-friendly mermaid. They bond over a love of swimming, poetry and concerns over how pollution is impacting the lakes, which provide drinking water, fish and recreation to communities across multiple states. Evelyn soon befriends Maud’s husband, Bruce, and introduces the couple to her own merman partner, Malcolm. The mermaids can transform their tails into legs so they are able to travel to the wine bar for a reading—and in one fun scene, they go all the way to Kansas City to attend the AWP conference. Roi Fainéant Press even gets a mention in this section of the book, as do some of the writers who have been featured in independent presses or literary magazines!

Through the tale, Maud and Evelyn seek out ways to be activists, but their conundrum lies in that neither of them wants to give up their lives of relative leisure.. Maud wants time to swim in the summer; Evelyn wants to travel through the lakes on gourmet food tours. So they try to find a middle ground of easierways to support their causes.

The book does have plenty of eco-facts in it. As a former reporter in an agricultural and coastal region of California, much of what Lavin’s has written about the effects of fertilizer runoff into streams and creeks that flow into larger bodies of water was familiar to me, but for those who aren’t as versed on the topics she provides an appendix with resources at the back of the book.

Lavin’s prose is accessible and down-to-earth enough to impart important messages about how oil pipelines and agricultural run-off are impacting the Great Lakes without coming across as preaching or lecturing. All in all, the book is a quick read and a clever way to raise awareness of environmental concerns.

Mermaids and Lazy Activists

A Lake Michigan Tale available now!

From Beyond Press $13.99