# Without Question “The Oyster Thief” was Green Living Guy Book of 2018!

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2018/12/without-question-the-oyster-thief-was-green-living-guy-book-of-2018/
- Published: 2018-12-31T01:12:24-05:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

Firstly, let me get this off my chest.  The New novel by Sonia Faruqi is the [Avatar](https://greenlivingguy.com/2010/11/james-cameron-exclusive-video-interview-the-gulf-is-not-clean/)
of the [Oceans](https://greenlivingguy.com/2011/10/exclusive-james-cameron-says-he-could-have-cleaned-up-the-gulf-in-6-months-and-he-loves-green-lighting-book-at-popular-mechanics-2011/)!
The highly anticipated novel   is more than just a “captivating blend between fantasy
and environmental activism”.  No it is a thriller like Grisham and as detailed in
learning about each person and the scene like Tom Clancy.  This is literally the
first novel to feature an underwater civilization alongside themes of ocean conservation.

### So the Clancy part to the setting in the book is depicted based on true ocean science.

![Sonia faruqi the oyster thief](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/
uploads/2018/12/Sonia-Faruqi_The-Oyster-Thief.jpg?resize=201%2C300&quality=52&ssl
=1 "Sonia Faruqi_The Oyster Thief - The Green Living Guy")

#### Quick plot is Like in Avatar, Two worlds collide when a mermaid and human man meet. This plunges audiences into a vast underwater realm brimming with adventure and intrigue.

_The Oyster Thief_ obtained a glowing review in **[Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/priyashukla/2018/11/28/the-worlds-first-ocean-conservation-novel/#291a2c278fab)**:“
Faruqi possesses a unique ability. One to create a fantastical underwater world.
So cool. I mean one while tying in explicit scientific fact. Again like a Tom Clancy
type [book](https://greenlivingguy.com/reforest-contact/green-living-merch-make-a-positive-environmental-impact/).

For _The [Oyster Thief](https://greenlivingguy.com/2018/11/indigenous-environmental-network-wins-keystone-xl-legal-battle/)_
is really such an entertaining and informative mix. One  of ocean science and literary
piece I always enjoyed growing up.

 

Coralline is a mermaid who is engaged to the merman of her dreams. But when an oil
spill wreaks havoc on her idyllic village life, her little brother falls gravely
ill. Desperate to save him, she embarks on a quest to find a legendary elixir made
of starlight.

Izar, a human man, is on the cusp of an invention that will enable him to mine gold
and diamonds from the depths of the ocean. His discovery will soon make him the 
richest man on earth—while threatening merpeople with extinction. But then, suddenly,
Izar finds himself transformed into a merman and caught in a web of betrayal and
intrigue. Meeting Coralline in the ocean, he decides to join her on her quest for
the elixir, hoping it will turn him human again.

The quest pushes Coralline and Izar together, even though their worlds are at odds.
Their pasts threaten to tear them apart, while a growing attraction adds to the 
danger. Ultimately, each of them faces an impossible choice. Should Coralline leave
her fiancé for a man who might betray her? And Izar has a dark secret of his own—
one that could cause him to lose Coralline forever.

![Sonia faruqi author](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/
12/Sonia-Faruqi_Author.jpg?resize=196%2C300&quality=52&ssl=1 "Sonia Faruqi_Author-
The Green Living Guy")

As well,  The Oyster Thief has drawn critical praise from [Dr. Sylvia Earle](https://greenlivingguy.com/2018/08/dr-sylvia-earle-to-receive-brits-2018-international-award-of-excellence-in-conservation/)(
the world’s foremost ocean scientist) and Jodi Picoult (bestselling author of My
Sister’s Keeper). It has also obtained glowing reviews in Publishers Weekly and 
Canada’s premier publication The Globe and Mail. Sonia snorkeled, scuba-dived, and
swam with sharks to research The Oyster Thief. All the animals and algae you’ll 
see mentioned in the novel are true-to-life. Even the names of all the characters
are scientifically grounded, drawn from the sea and the stars.  

#### When I asked Sonia how she wrote such a wonderful book, she wrote back:

I was never passionate about the ocean. Like most people, I knew little about it.
Even on those rare occasions when I went to the beach, I hardly ever took the time
to listen to the lapping of the waves or to inhale the salty scent of the froth.
In my life, the ocean was always background, never foreground, little more interesting
than the dirt under the feet.

#### That is, until I fell into the ocean.

Not literally, but as a writer. On January 1st, 2015, it was a freezing morning 
in Toronto, Canada, where I live. I looked out my apartment window at the snow draping
the buildings and roads like a fluffy white ghost. It was so still, so flat, so 
cold, and I had a sudden, irrepressible desire to escape it. My mind drew up an 
image of turquoise tropical waters, of hot sands between my toes, of palm trees 
with long, finger-like leaves swaying in the breeze. But my face fell even as the
image anchored itself firmly in my mind. The fact was, I could not afford to book
a last-minute flight.

No matter, I decided. I could not escape externally, so I would escape internally(
as writers often do). I made a cup of tea, sat down on the couch, and started inventing
an underwater world all my own.

Over the next while, the more I immersed myself imaginatively under the waves, the
more real and beautiful it all felt. I understood for the first time what Jacques
Cousteau, oceanographer and explorer, meant when he said, “The sea, once it casts
its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

As well, Sonia created “[What if You Were a Merperson?](https://www.facebook.com/What.If.science/videos/1111636412342691/)”“
I wrote the script and the production was done by “What if.” In less than 24 hours,
the video has amassed more than 600,000 views. It indicates the high level of interest
in merpeople and also that it is possible to make a beautiful [live action underwater video](https://greenlivingguy.com/2011/07/waxed-live-my-hilarious-experience-on-regis-and-kelly-video/).”

_Sonia_

Source: Sonia direct interview and the first chapter here., Sonia is published by
Pegasus Books in the U.S. and is with Penguin Random House in Canada [www.soniafaruqi.com](http://www.soniafaruqi.com/).

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 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
expert, and Editor of the McGraw-Hill, TAB Green Guru Guides. Seth is also an Author,
Radio Host, Reporter, Writer and an Environmental Consultant on green living. The
Green Living Guy writes about green living, green lighting, the green guru guides
and more. Seth's books range from: # Build Your Own Electric Vehicle by Bob Brant
and Seth Leitman (2nd and 3rd editions) # Build Your Own Plug-in Hybrid Electric
Vehicle by Seth Leitman # Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle by Carl Vogel # Green
Lighting by Seth Leitman, Brian Clark Howard and Bill Brinsky # Solar Power For 
Your Home by David Findley # Renewable Energies For Your Home by Russel Gehrke #
Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audits by David Findley # Build Your Own Small Wind Power
System by Brian Clark Howard and Kevin Shea # and more green living books to follow.

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