The Mermaid of Black Conch: The spellbinding winner of the Costa Book of the Year and perfect novel for summer
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- Create Date：2021-07-02 09:16:22
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Monique Roffey
- ISBN：1529115493
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Summary
* WINNER OF THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR *
'A unique talent' Bernardine Evaristo
______________________________
Near the island of Black Conch， a fisherman sings to himself while waiting for a catch。 But David attracts a sea-dweller that he never expected - Aycayia， an innocent young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid。
When American tourists capture Aycayia， David rescues her and vows to win her trust。 Slowly， painfully， she transforms into a woman again。 Yet as their love grows， they discover that the world around them is changing - and they cannot escape the curse for ever。。。
______________________________
'A fiercely modern mermaid story。。。 Roffey subverts the fairytale' The Times
'Extraordinary， captivating， unforgettable characters。。。we found it completely compelling' Chair of Judges， Costa Book of the Year
'Wonderfully written， with both soul and intense drama - it glistens almost， like the mermaid！' Diana Evans
'A bittersweet love story。。。a joy to read， brimming with memorable characters' BBC News
Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2020
Winner of the Costa Novel Award 2020
Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2021
Shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2020
Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction 2021
Longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature 2021
'A unique talent' Bernardine Evaristo
______________________________
Near the island of Black Conch， a fisherman sings to himself while waiting for a catch。 But David attracts a sea-dweller that he never expected - Aycayia， an innocent young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid。
When American tourists capture Aycayia， David rescues her and vows to win her trust。 Slowly， painfully， she transforms into a woman again。 Yet as their love grows， they discover that the world around them is changing - and they cannot escape the curse for ever。。。
______________________________
'A fiercely modern mermaid story。。。 Roffey subverts the fairytale' The Times
'Extraordinary， captivating， unforgettable characters。。。we found it completely compelling' Chair of Judges， Costa Book of the Year
'Wonderfully written， with both soul and intense drama - it glistens almost， like the mermaid！' Diana Evans
'A bittersweet love story。。。a joy to read， brimming with memorable characters' BBC News
Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2020
Winner of the Costa Novel Award 2020
Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2021
Shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2020
Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction 2021
Longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature 2021
Reviews
Eleanor
，
I liked the mixing of the authorial voice， David's diary looking back， and the poetic voice of Aycayia。 I think it gave the text a more rounded feeling - we got both of their viewpoints， as well as some scenes for which neither of them were present。 I also loved the choice of poetry for Aycayia - it felt very fitting。 Similarly the dialect written in David's diary， but also the text in general made me read it in a very different way to a book written in Standard English。 I loved the characters o I liked the mixing of the authorial voice， David's diary looking back， and the poetic voice of Aycayia。 I think it gave the text a more rounded feeling - we got both of their viewpoints， as well as some scenes for which neither of them were present。 I also loved the choice of poetry for Aycayia - it felt very fitting。 Similarly the dialect written in David's diary， but also the text in general made me read it in a very different way to a book written in Standard English。 I loved the characters of Miss Rain， Reggie and Life （I especially loved Life and Miss Rain's relationship）。 The beginning was quite upsetting - the man conquering nature and dominance over a） a woman in a weakened position and b） a race/species （mermaid） deemed by the men to be less-than。 I also really liked the way it ended - it felt very realistic。 。。。more
Sarah
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⭐ 3。5 stars ⭐
Alex Pearl
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A beautiful， haunting， and intricately crafted novel。'The Mermaid of Black Conch' tells the story of Aycayia， a woman of the Taino people who were the indigenous population of the Caribbean and Florida。 Aycayia is a talented beauty and is cursed by other jealous women， to become a mermaid for eternity。 The novel tells the story of how she meets David and comes to experience life on Black Conch， a small Caribbean island still battling to free itself from the horrible legacies of slavery and colon A beautiful， haunting， and intricately crafted novel。'The Mermaid of Black Conch' tells the story of Aycayia， a woman of the Taino people who were the indigenous population of the Caribbean and Florida。 Aycayia is a talented beauty and is cursed by other jealous women， to become a mermaid for eternity。 The novel tells the story of how she meets David and comes to experience life on Black Conch， a small Caribbean island still battling to free itself from the horrible legacies of slavery and colonialism。The characters are sharply drawn and compelling。 The use of language in the novel is exceptional， Caribbean English and poetry draw you in to this book like wading out into a calm and inviting ocean。 The book is at times brutalising， alluring and enchanting。The novel has progressive and empowering representations of disability as a skill set that other people cannot access。 I adored this element， along with the subtle undercurrents that challenge patriarchy in various forms。 The artfulness with which important lessons are woven into this narrative is masterful。 Roffey confronts challenging issues in a powerful but finely-drawn way。 I also loved that the unstoppable forces in this book are unapologetically female。An exquisite read and one that I will revisit and gift to others。 。。。more
Laura Leeson
，
I listened to the audio book version of Monique Roffey's novel and I think the authenticity of the narrating voices added an extra layer of enjoyment to this book。 Part 'Splash'， part dark and brooding legend， this was a great take on the myth of the mermaid。 It was also a beautiful story of love。 The horrific - and lengthy - description of the capture of Aycayia the mermaid set one angle of the story firmly in the mind - the ongoing feelings of ownership of women and their bodies， of capture an I listened to the audio book version of Monique Roffey's novel and I think the authenticity of the narrating voices added an extra layer of enjoyment to this book。 Part 'Splash'， part dark and brooding legend， this was a great take on the myth of the mermaid。 It was also a beautiful story of love。 The horrific - and lengthy - description of the capture of Aycayia the mermaid set one angle of the story firmly in the mind - the ongoing feelings of ownership of women and their bodies， of capture and enslavement of others， of power wielded unfairly。 Other things are also touched on - corruption， racism， the legacy of colonialism， ecology， the plundering of the oceans。 The language used is flowing and paints a vivid picture。 If I had to be picky， I would say there is repetition of certain thoughts and phrases， and the book does dot about from one POV to another without much warning， but it didn't stop my enjoyment and I listened to the whole thing in a few concentrated bursts whilst out walking。 A painful， powerful tale of the continued subjugation of women （not only by men）， and the dots of bright light which constitute real， unfiltered love。 。。。more
Chris
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A quite beautiful and passionate novel that had me spellbound from the opening pages。My first experience of Monique Roffey's work and I will certainly be back for more。 A quite beautiful and passionate novel that had me spellbound from the opening pages。My first experience of Monique Roffey's work and I will certainly be back for more。 。。。more
perri lister
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This is a wonderful story based on a true tale from long ago。 I loved the way it was written and the way she describes the characters not in a sentimental vein but with a tenderness and a touching empathy even for the mean ones。 I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say anymore except read it。
Girija
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*TRIGGER WARNING-RACIAL SLURS* marked as a DNF-wanted to stop reading after reading the n word explicitly stated-in which obviously if this was a black author-this is okay （due to their reclamation of the word and/or BLACK authors using it in a historical context） but Monique Roffey （correct me if i’m wrong here） is a non black person-considering that her father is British with an anglo-Saxon ancestry and she said that her mum was a white European from what they knew 。 I am a non-black person， i *TRIGGER WARNING-RACIAL SLURS* marked as a DNF-wanted to stop reading after reading the n word explicitly stated-in which obviously if this was a black author-this is okay （due to their reclamation of the word and/or BLACK authors using it in a historical context） but Monique Roffey （correct me if i’m wrong here） is a non black person-considering that her father is British with an anglo-Saxon ancestry and she said that her mum was a white European from what they knew 。 I am a non-black person， in which black peoples interpretation of this may agree with me or disagree with me-both opinions from black people are always valid-however personally I feel uncomfortable reading a word as hateful as that coming from a non-black author or just anyone non-black for that matter-I just also want to make it perfectly clear too that ethnicity and nationality is different to race-just because you grew up around a nation with a specific race or culture-does not mean you are apart of that race-and it is a shame as while it was very slow to get into at first it was starting to really unravel-but had to put to the book down when reading that word 。。。more
Aoife McMenamin
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This book is nicely written， I just thought it was daft。 It’s a short book but I felt it would never end。 Not for me。 Others will love it。
Claudia -
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Set on a small Caribbean Island， this is a very fine， sweet love story overshadowed by a dark curse。 Sunshine and tornadoes。It’s written in a lively Patois with a modern twist on folk tales。 I particularly loved that the mermaid is not of the twinkly but of a strong blood’n’guts kind。A book like a short holiday in the Caribbean。
Angela
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Absolutely loved this book。 Completely captivating。 I thoroughly expect it to be made into a movie that I will hate。 😆
Jill Schroeder
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For anyone who likes their magic to feel real。 Small communities， prejudice， tourist dollars， history， race， women's fear of women and some weather。 For anyone who likes their magic to feel real。 Small communities， prejudice， tourist dollars， history， race， women's fear of women and some weather。 。。。more
Lillian Byrne
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Excellent book， brings a fable dimension to an adult audience
Nicola Worley
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The story of Aycayia， a beautiful young woman from ancient times， cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid， a real folk story brought to life。 She’s captured by greedy white American tourists and rescued by a local fisherman， David。 This is their story， one of transformation， slow trust and gentle love。 Costa book of the year 2020 and well deserved。 Set on a Caribbean island with a dark history of slavery and genocide， yet the language is glorious。 Aycayia slowly “coming to come” and really The story of Aycayia， a beautiful young woman from ancient times， cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid， a real folk story brought to life。 She’s captured by greedy white American tourists and rescued by a local fisherman， David。 This is their story， one of transformation， slow trust and gentle love。 Costa book of the year 2020 and well deserved。 Set on a Caribbean island with a dark history of slavery and genocide， yet the language is glorious。 Aycayia slowly “coming to come” and really own herself was so beautiful to read， as was the love and patience David has for her。 “I like that woman too bad。 I like the funny way she walk; in some way she have grace， and in another way she was awkward。 I like how she was at home with nature， the way she seem to know things I don’t know， like she more connected to the earth。” 4。5/5⭐️ 。。。more
Tweedledum
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A terrific story 。 Takes the little mermaid by her tail， literally， and blows the mind。 I alternated between audio and reading and found this worked well。 Audio helped me get into the rhythms and unfamiliar forms of the dialect but it was all too easy to then be lulled by those voices and miss some detail。 An exquisite and powerful imagining and a deeply satisfying ending 。
David Fox-Meakin
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😭🧞♀️
Mel
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I recommend this book。 Very moving。
Jeanne
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Delightful book， well-developed characters。 I was sad to come to the end of the story。
Kate ☕️
，
4。5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sandra Mandziuk
，
An odd but interesting storyline。 I felt sympathy for the two main characters。
Tasha
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Review to come！
Pauline
，
Although I really enjoyed the opening section of those book， and found the description of the chase and catch really powerful and compelling it quickly went downhill for me。 I thought I would love it given the opening， but once Aycayia is on land， I found that I could not get along with the book。 Despite lots of interesting themes that come up， they didn’t feel fully explored， and it suffered from uneven pacing。 Ultimately left me cold。 Given all the positive reviews I’m in a minority though！
Clare de la lune
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A wise and moving analysis of the relationships of men with women and women with women in a post colonial Caribbean island。Monique cleverly uses the folklore of the mermaid to create a story that encompasses the prejudice， fear and greed that people face when something different appears in their world。 She also tenderly investigates the sexual feelings of men and women and the responsibilities of parenthood with kindness and understanding。The writing style is quite magical， moving in and out of A wise and moving analysis of the relationships of men with women and women with women in a post colonial Caribbean island。Monique cleverly uses the folklore of the mermaid to create a story that encompasses the prejudice， fear and greed that people face when something different appears in their world。 She also tenderly investigates the sexual feelings of men and women and the responsibilities of parenthood with kindness and understanding。The writing style is quite magical， moving in and out of a Caribbbean lilt。 And lyrical too， with the thoughts of the mermaid， Acayia， written in verse。Although the capture of Acayia is brutal and heartbreaking I found the book held a sense of peace and calm despite the turbulent journey they all faced。 。。。more
Paul Boucher
，
Loved it， loved the world of The Mermaid Of Black Conch。I hate star ratings when emotions and personal lived experience （read and otherwise） make every review a subjective opinion。 Having said that I would have rated it 4 1/2 stars。 Beautiful， poetry in motion in spots。 Fabulously well-imagined， every strand of story loved into existence。 In short， recommended。
Igor
，
There’s no denying that this books paints beautiful settings and touches on very important topics as well as utilises the tools provided by magical realism very well。 However， what unsettles me about this is the amount of potential the book had！ The third person narrator feels so disconnected from the characters at times， deciding to tells facts and feelings instead of showing them。 The most engaged I was happened to be during the diary entries and Aycayia’s poetically constructed speeches。The b There’s no denying that this books paints beautiful settings and touches on very important topics as well as utilises the tools provided by magical realism very well。 However， what unsettles me about this is the amount of potential the book had！ The third person narrator feels so disconnected from the characters at times， deciding to tells facts and feelings instead of showing them。 The most engaged I was happened to be during the diary entries and Aycayia’s poetically constructed speeches。The book tells us way too late about the backstory of characters， for example Thomas and Hank， which prevents us from being more engaged with them from the very beginning。 Lastly， it feels as though it could have gone into certain issues a lot deeper， for example the mermaids metamorphosis what it means to feel uncomfortable in one’s body’s， the fascinating dynamic between Life and Miss Rain as a mixed race couple and other potential points throughout the book。Overall it is beautifully written， but that is what pains me as so much wasted potential。 。。。more
Claire
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Cute story， will give it an extra half point for the hilarious and graphic ‘bad sex’ moments
Jane
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Awful。 Miserable， repetitive and irritating with ketch and ent etc。 My fit app was more appealing。 It was just a sad folk tale stretched out with sex in it。 So glad I'm finished it。 Awful。 Miserable， repetitive and irritating with ketch and ent etc。 My fit app was more appealing。 It was just a sad folk tale stretched out with sex in it。 So glad I'm finished it。 。。。more
Barbara Campey
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I loved the rhythmic language and honesty of the book。 In spite of the fantastical nature， for me the characters were very real。 I found some scenes heart-rending but never sentimental。 A gentle reflection on an understanding and acceptance of nature that I guess is now rare in this world。 Quite beautiful。
Liz Owen
，
Well， I struggled with this。 Magical realism is not my thing， and I wouldn't have read it if it hadn't been a book group choice。 Some of the writing was excellent， but I was irritated by other parts - and too much， almost relentless， "sexing"！ Well， I struggled with this。 Magical realism is not my thing， and I wouldn't have read it if it hadn't been a book group choice。 Some of the writing was excellent， but I was irritated by other parts - and too much， almost relentless， "sexing"！ 。。。more
Jenna
，
So interesting。 A mermaid story without fantasy or magic， revealing the fault lines in relationships by race and sex， the dehumanizing and evil that arises from greed and jealousy， and the good that comes of love， even if it all cannot be rescued。 There are some repetitive sections I might have edited， hence the 4 stars， but definitely worth reading！
Katie Bruce
，