The Siren is a horror novel based on one man’s obsession with a little known mythological figure called a Siren. This otherworldly ocean creature lives beneath the sea near a rocky coastline and sings to lull men into a careless stupor. She then lures them into her clutches. Then she has sex with them, slaughters them, and eats them.
In the novel, a man named Evan is mourning the drowning death of his son, who died a year ago. He and his wife Sarah have not moved on; rather, they live their lives mired in separate grief, coping as best they can, trapped in the past. Every night, Evan goes walking on the deserted beach. He is reliving the death of his son, who drowned in the waves while he stood helpless on shore. Evan cannot swim and is mortally afraid of the water. He feels guilty about his son's death, believing that he caused it by his inability to rescue the drowning child. One night, as he's walking down the beach, intending to end his life by walking into the waves, he hears the beautiful music of a woman singing. He sees a gorgeous naked woman alone on the rocky coastline. Startled, she dives into the water and swims away. He does not see her surface. Captivated by this strange woman, he returns to the beach the next night and winds up in her arms. They begin an otherworldly affair. When she sings, he becomes entranced, and even finds himself making love to her in the ocean that he has feared for so long. Her song is like an addictive drug, and making love to her is like nothing he has ever experienced. Although Evan feels guilty about cheating on his wife, he continues to meet with this mysterious woman and hide his affair for everyone except for his friend Bill and his psychiatrist, who believes that the beautiful woman is merely a fantasy.
Bill is immediately suspicious of the woman, who calls herself Ligeia. Bill becomes convinced that this strange woman is in fact a supernatural being - the mythical Siren who, legend has it, has been haunting the town for centuries. Evan laughs off his concerns, even when people begin to disappear on the beach and wash up on the shore in pieces.
When Evan finally decides to do the right thing and end the affair, things turned deadly as Ligeia, now pregnant with his child, refuses to take no for an answer. Soon the full fury of the Siren is released, and Evan is fighting for his life.
The novel The Siren weaves together the story of the hapless Evan with another story that takes place in the past - the story of Ligeia's capture and imprisonment by a ship captain in the 1800s. Everson deftly balances both storylines, moving smoothly between them. Each story unfolds at a rapid pace, pulling the reader along for the ride. Everson builds suspense very effectively, and the tale of Ligeia's imprisonment at the hands of the captain is riveting. Unfortunately, the climax of Evan struggle with the Siren is not as effective and leaves the reader wanting more. However, despite this flaw, the Siren is an effective and scary horror tale. It encompasses the themes of grief and sexual obsession as well as the fury of a scorned lover, set against the backdrop of the beautiful and untamed ocean, which becomes a character in its own right.
Overall, this was a very good book. I would have liked to see the climax of Evan’s story handled more deftly and in a more realistic fashion - but the novel was satisfying nonetheless.