Tropic of the Sea

After reading the brilliant Children of the Sea manga, I was having withdrawals and tried to find something similar (note: the thing about finding something great, is that you rarely find something else to match it!). But Tropic of the Sea came a close second, although I don't think it was quite the brilliance of Children of the Sea.
Taken on its own though I really enjoyed it. I would classify it as magical realism, a story mostly set in reality as we know it, but with a hint of something magical or supernatural to it. Mermaids are the titular creature here, but as a gateway to bringing up environmental issues as well as community and social ones. It's a much more straightforward message than the ethereal and abstract ones in Children of the Sea, but I still found it a really good read. The artwork is quite well done and the characters feel like people you know...a neighbor or a friend, which has a way of bringing the message home.
I really enjoy stories that have a down to earth setting, but the hint of something magical and mysterious as an undercurrent and Tropic of the Sea handles this very well. Maybe not fantastic, but a really, really good read nonetheless.