Ehrlich, the author of the story collection Animal Wife (2020) presents a short and disturbing novel. Ceto is the cruel taskmaster of the sirens, women who are the main attraction in Sirenland, a popular tourist location. Visitors flock to see the sirens perform underwater plays in their false tails, then head to the boardwalk for more entertainment. Ceto came from the water herself, a true siren who left her tail behind for a life on land; the others have been transformed based on Ceto’s instructions.