The Song of Maress

This mystical novel tells the tale of Maress, a young dolphin who, along with her mother and aunt, has fled her home to escape the punishing heat of El Nino. Drifting through the vast waters of Oshania, Maress meets Big Blue, a wise old whale whose gentle counsel encourages Maress to make a place for herself in the Oshanian community. Her mother and aunt, however, have forbidden her from consorting with the locals and from learning their language, for fear of losing her own culture. With Big Blue's help, Maress begins to understand that, without the common bond of language, she and her family will never truly belong in Oshania. So begins her quest to create a home for herself in a new world, discovering friendship and true love along the way. The Song of Maress poses an allegorical solution to the immigrant's challenge between making a new life in a strange land and holding onto important customs from the past.