The Mermaid of Black Conch: Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2020
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- Create Date：2021-06-09 00:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- 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
Aimée Challenger
，
This book is unlike any other book I've read。 I really enjoyed the mythical elements of the story。 Saying that， it's definitely not your typical mermaid story。 A good read This book is unlike any other book I've read。 I really enjoyed the mythical elements of the story。 Saying that， it's definitely not your typical mermaid story。 A good read 。。。more
Kate Cotton
，
Such a beautiful and magical tale。 I read it in two days， despite trying to slow down to make it last longer！ I know this story is going to stay with me for a long time。 Thoroughly recommend。
Lauralaporte
，
A refreshingly different story， beautifully written， of a mermaid and the people’s lives she changes。
Dunj
，
This is almost perfect。 In the end there were too many ideas emerging， but the atmosphere， the difference of myth， the absolute thrill of the chase in the beginning make it extraordinary。
Jennifer
，
DNF I am not having much luck with my choices lately。No fault of the book as I will probably pick it up again at some point。 Just had a bit of trouble getting into it。 The fact that the interview with author at Hay Festival was spoilered beyond belief probably didn't help。 I was just about to pick it up as my next read and was really put off by the interviewer giving away much of the book， DNF I am not having much luck with my choices lately。No fault of the book as I will probably pick it up again at some point。 Just had a bit of trouble getting into it。 The fact that the interview with author at Hay Festival was spoilered beyond belief probably didn't help。 I was just about to pick it up as my next read and was really put off by the interviewer giving away much of the book， 。。。more
Camille Jackman
，
Lovely book， the sample caught me and reeled me in。 The book made me feel like I never wanted it to end。 The writing was poetic， the characters in such a short book had so much depth， they were able to fully evolve。 This book showed me love in ways I didnt think I could have fathomed。 Probably one of my favourite books for the year。 I'm loving my attempt to read Caribbean。 Realizing the richness in the storytelling。 Boy。I love it。 Lovely book， the sample caught me and reeled me in。 The book made me feel like I never wanted it to end。 The writing was poetic， the characters in such a short book had so much depth， they were able to fully evolve。 This book showed me love in ways I didnt think I could have fathomed。 Probably one of my favourite books for the year。 I'm loving my attempt to read Caribbean。 Realizing the richness in the storytelling。 Boy。I love it。 。。。more
Rebecca Duncan
，
A phenomenal book that I absolutely devoured。 This draws on so many genres， blending fairy tale， myth， romance， music， horror， postcolonialism， ecocriticism， and all sorts on top， and fuses them together perfectly。There are so many elements that make this novel brilliant that I could probably write at least six different essays on it if I felt like going back to my uni days （I don't， at least not in the academic sense）。 I think what I admire most though， is the seamless blend of the different vo A phenomenal book that I absolutely devoured。 This draws on so many genres， blending fairy tale， myth， romance， music， horror， postcolonialism， ecocriticism， and all sorts on top， and fuses them together perfectly。There are so many elements that make this novel brilliant that I could probably write at least six different essays on it if I felt like going back to my uni days （I don't， at least not in the academic sense）。 I think what I admire most though， is the seamless blend of the different voices that Roffey manages to execute。 There are dozens of allusions to other literature and culture that I noticed and probably hundreds that I didn't， but they all come together in a very well balanced narrative， told in three different voices， without any of them feeling clunky。 We have the traditional 'omniscient' narrator， told in pretty much British English。 Then there's first-person narration from David Baptiste， told in Black Conch dialect， and finally the poetic verse of the mermaid herself， Aycayia。 There are so many books where this blend is done really badly， but one pulls it off really well。Perfect for a holiday read or just a rainy weekend at home， I really think The Mermaid of Black Conch will be read many times， for years to come。 。。。more
Melissa Pincher
，
To say this book is less than 200 pages it took me a while to get into it。 Once the relationships between Aycayia and the other characters started developing is when I became more engaged。 I couldn't give it more than 3 stars because I wasn't blown away。 But more than anything I enjoyed reading a book from a culture where I hadn't personally explored before To say this book is less than 200 pages it took me a while to get into it。 Once the relationships between Aycayia and the other characters started developing is when I became more engaged。 I couldn't give it more than 3 stars because I wasn't blown away。 But more than anything I enjoyed reading a book from a culture where I hadn't personally explored before 。。。more
The Book
，
Liked it but not enough to re-read it。
Emma
，
The audiobook for this was absolutely stunning。 I felt completely immersed in the story， and the particular passages where we heard from Aycayia’s perspective - which were read like spoken word with soft background music - were mesmerising。 This was a very unique story unlike anything I have read before， and unusual characters。 I really enjoyed the moments it occasionally dips into surrealism and the ending with the storm was very atmospheric。 I would have liked to have learnt more about the cur The audiobook for this was absolutely stunning。 I felt completely immersed in the story， and the particular passages where we heard from Aycayia’s perspective - which were read like spoken word with soft background music - were mesmerising。 This was a very unique story unlike anything I have read before， and unusual characters。 I really enjoyed the moments it occasionally dips into surrealism and the ending with the storm was very atmospheric。 I would have liked to have learnt more about the curse， I feel that could have been explored more， but perhaps leaving that more open-ended and to mystery was the goal。 。。。more
Tilly
，
The Mermaid of Black Conch is set on an imaginary Caribbean island in the late 1900s。 Reading this novel was a chance to escape into a new and unfamiliar setting; this part of the world is not an area I have read about before or know much about。The story fuses the mythical （mermaids， otherworldly auras， whispered retellings of mysterious Taino legends， the unknown beneath the surface of the ocean） with the mundanity of every day life （the oppressive routine of hard labour， the entanglements of The Mermaid of Black Conch is set on an imaginary Caribbean island in the late 1900s。 Reading this novel was a chance to escape into a new and unfamiliar setting; this part of the world is not an area I have read about before or know much about。The story fuses the mythical （mermaids， otherworldly auras， whispered retellings of mysterious Taino legends， the unknown beneath the surface of the ocean） with the mundanity of every day life （the oppressive routine of hard labour， the entanglements of relationships and lost love）。 There’s also a social commentary about colonialism and female sexuality interwoven into the tale – for me， these elements were the strongest part of the novel。 The writing style has a lyrical aspect amid the magical realism。 Although the colloquialisms seemed an essential technique in this book， a necessary device to ground the story in time and place， the writing style felt jarring to me and， unfortunately， hindered my connection to or with the characters。 That being said， this book is unlike anything I've read before， which made for a unique and curious reading experience。“The sea， that expanse of nothingness， could reflect a man back on himself。 [。。。] The sea was the giant woman of the planet， fluid and contrary。 All the men shuddered as they gazed at her surface。”"At the curve in the road， at the hip of the mountainside， she stopped to watch the sea。 Te pull of it flared in every cell of her body。 It was a deep， satisfying， mesmerising feeling。 [。。。] The sea was deeper than she knew or could swim。 Her lungs hadn't the capacity to go to the ocean floor。" 。。。more
Torrie Tovar
，
Man this book is so good！ I want to say if you like books like Circe or Addie LaRue then read this book。 However， it doesn't have anything to do with Gods。 But it does deal with Magic and curses。 Aycayia is an indigenous young woman from Cuba。 She is beautiful and all the men want to marry her。 But she doesn't want to marry。 So the men are angry that she is turning them all down and all the women are jealous。 So they take her to the sea and curse her to an immortal life as a mermaid。 Flash forwa Man this book is so good！ I want to say if you like books like Circe or Addie LaRue then read this book。 However， it doesn't have anything to do with Gods。 But it does deal with Magic and curses。 Aycayia is an indigenous young woman from Cuba。 She is beautiful and all the men want to marry her。 But she doesn't want to marry。 So the men are angry that she is turning them all down and all the women are jealous。 So they take her to the sea and curse her to an immortal life as a mermaid。 Flash forward thousands of years and some fishermen catch her。 But she isn't a beautiful mermaid like in Disney stories。 Yet， they still are enamored with her。 Then one man saves her and intends to return her to the sea。 However， she starts turning back into a human。 This story was so unique and heartbreaking， so you know I loved it。 Although， I didn't like how all of the bad stuff was blamed on one woman in the present time。 I do get that this is a book about jealousy but I feel like the woman took too much of the blame。 And if you have read this we need to talk about the period scene！ I would definitely recommend this book and maybe grab some tissues。 TW: sexual assault， homophobia， attempted suicide， colonialism， racism。 。。。more
Ashleigh Houlston
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‘He felt himself surrender to his want， his twin， his only real friend in the world。 Home was her fingers， her elbows and her rib cage; home was her face， her eyes， her gaze， the way she said things， anything。 He’s been so bored， so looking looking anywhere else but here。’
Paola Fornari
，
I don’t usually enjoy （or even read） fantasy books， but I loved this bittersweet love story。 What really made it for me was the narration。 Ben Onwukue’s gravelly voice is mesmerising， and Vivienne Acheampong’s， backed by a few guitar notes， is equally captivating。 I was transported to the West Indies， and relished every moment of my trip！
Des Coker
，
Weird AF but I really enjoyed it and how grotesque the mermaid is。 Good story overall
Kirsty
，
I really wanted to like this book， but it turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag。 I really liked the premise and the setting on a Caribbean island， but I felt that the writing let the story down。 It felt very much like a draft rather than a finished work。 There isn't a great deal of subtlety - points are hammered home， elements are repeated （how many times do we need to be told that Aycayia had sisters？ Or that the sky is laughing？）。 The frequent references to "sexing" are pretty cringe-worthy， t I really wanted to like this book， but it turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag。 I really liked the premise and the setting on a Caribbean island， but I felt that the writing let the story down。 It felt very much like a draft rather than a finished work。 There isn't a great deal of subtlety - points are hammered home， elements are repeated （how many times do we need to be told that Aycayia had sisters？ Or that the sky is laughing？）。 The frequent references to "sexing" are pretty cringe-worthy， too。 There are also quite a lot of inconsistencies， such as the mermaid being the length of a Boston whaler， yet one man is capable of single-handedly transporting her home in a wheelbarrow and putting her in his bathtub。 She's apparently thousands of years old， but can communicate immediately with a boy using American Sign Language。 The American visitors magically know Life's name without being introduced to him。 The love story aspect bothered me - David is set up to be her love interest， but he just seems to lust after her and objectify her from the start。 The only people who actually try to get to know her are Arcadia and Reggie。 I heard the author say at the Hay Festival that the mermaid's passages in the book are supposed to be messages in a bottle that she's written on scraps - that never came across to me in the book and opens up even more questions。 When did she learn to write？ Because she only seemed to learn spoken English and American sign language in the book。 Where did she get writing implements from？ Her sections seem to jump about from being set at the respective point in the story （like the "tree incident"） to being set in the present day （like when she talks about seeing David for 40 cycles）。 I really wish we could have learned more about Aycayia's pre-mermaid life。 For me， the most interesting part of the book was the argument between Arcadia and Priscilla about whether or not Arcadia had a right to her house and the land considering her white ancestry。 Otherwise， I think the book could have done with a good edit。 。。。more
Ellie Cripps
，
Completely deserving of all the accolades， this book is sweeping yet so wonderfully small in its focus。 About love， about hate and about the magic of everything in-between。
Marc
，
A fascinating re-invention of the mermaid myth brought into the present day in a post-colonial tale that borrows from Taino culture and wrestles with patriarchy， racism， possession， and identity。 But mostly， it's a love story set in the Lesser Antilles， where Roffey bounces back and forth between 1976， when our mermaid Acaycia was first caught by a couple of wealthy white tourists， and 2015， where local fisherman David's journal entries reflect on the past and what occurred when he fell in love A fascinating re-invention of the mermaid myth brought into the present day in a post-colonial tale that borrows from Taino culture and wrestles with patriarchy， racism， possession， and identity。 But mostly， it's a love story set in the Lesser Antilles， where Roffey bounces back and forth between 1976， when our mermaid Acaycia was first caught by a couple of wealthy white tourists， and 2015， where local fisherman David's journal entries reflect on the past and what occurred when he fell in love with a magical creature。 Not all magic is good and not all love stories end the same。 Roffey creates a rather nuanced and touching story， peppered with humor， that deflty captures the complexities of both love and historical reckonings。I will say this is the only time in my life， I've heard or read cheese described as sexy。 Mermaids I can believe， but sexy cheese？ Not even Roffey could pull that off。--------------------------------SOME WORDS I LEARNEDpicong | tabanca | obeah | wajang | dougla 。。。more
Moore
，
I hugely enjoyed this story that firmly established a reality， with human failings and disappointments as well as the joys of discovery and reunion - despite centring around the fundamentally impossible story of a mermaid and the curse that follows her。 The struggle to capture Aycayia， followed by the breathtaking arrogance of the way she is strung up and manhandled， all points inevitably to nothing good coming of this， but an overwhelming compulsion to know， see， hold， have， the unknowable。 I l I hugely enjoyed this story that firmly established a reality， with human failings and disappointments as well as the joys of discovery and reunion - despite centring around the fundamentally impossible story of a mermaid and the curse that follows her。 The struggle to capture Aycayia， followed by the breathtaking arrogance of the way she is strung up and manhandled， all points inevitably to nothing good coming of this， but an overwhelming compulsion to know， see， hold， have， the unknowable。 I loved Aycayia’s refusal to conform to the Disney mermaid meme。 The shedding of her tail and resident sealife is brilliant， you can almost smell it。 And in lifting the lid on this mermaid truth…so a wealth of other things are revealed about life in Black Conch， vengeful neighbours， romantic fishermen， corrupt cops， lonely little boys。 My only reserve is that there’s some art here to keeping Aycayia credible - you feel like you are squinting a little bit into the sun。 She stays wistful， a little dreamy。 Not too much detail， so the spell remains unbroken。 That works well enough to allow for a kind of overblown effect for the sexual encounter with David - and for the obsessive behaviour that drives people around her， the women that cursed her， the cops that kidnap her…。。 but the reader is left hanging a little about the her， her self， underneath it all， aside from all the experiences， she exists mainly to be constantly reacting to everything， everyone else - which must be exhausting， feels sort of exhausting。 No dominion of her own。 Which perhaps is the point。 。。。more
Mich
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3。5 rounded up！
Julie Ehlers
，
As I said to my book group， anytime a character encounters a fearsome， mythic sea creature and their first thought is basically， "I'd like to get with that，" the entire novel should then be devoted to what exactly is going on with that character。 Loneliness？ Hedonism？ Need to please？ Need to conquer everything one sees？ It's not a setup for the love story of the century， is what I'm saying。Still， I was willing to overlook it in The Mermaid of Black Conch because I liked so much else about the bo As I said to my book group， anytime a character encounters a fearsome， mythic sea creature and their first thought is basically， "I'd like to get with that，" the entire novel should then be devoted to what exactly is going on with that character。 Loneliness？ Hedonism？ Need to please？ Need to conquer everything one sees？ It's not a setup for the love story of the century， is what I'm saying。Still， I was willing to overlook it in The Mermaid of Black Conch because I liked so much else about the book: the characters were great， the setting was vivid， and the plot even built to some suspense at the end。 I thought the author did a good job of making David sympathetic， and the mermaid herself was really interesting， nothing typical about her portrayal。 I also thought this fit right into the tradition of Caribbean-set literature， from Zora Neale Hurston to Jean Rhys to newer books like An Untamed State， so I appreciated the writing on that level as well。 3。5 stars， but I'm rounding up because it's been a couple months since I read it and my fondness seems to have grown in that time。 。。。more
Melanie Harvey
，
Unusual， intriguing， very different type of a book。 Multiple voices and writing styles added to the complexity of the novel。 I liked the simplicity of the story， the treatment of a different way of life， island and peoples。 I enjoyed the modern magic realism of the book。 It had a lot to say about the treatment of women， the role of the female throughout the ages， parenthood and gendered tradition。 An arresting book in many ways and a book to be reflected on。
Kayleigh
，
This was a unique and beautifully-written book， but I think I ruined it for myself by listening to the audiobook。 The audiobook narration was gorgeous and I was invested in the story， but I still had very little motivation to actually listen to it。 I think I finally have to admit that I just don't like listening to audiobooks！ This was a unique and beautifully-written book， but I think I ruined it for myself by listening to the audiobook。 The audiobook narration was gorgeous and I was invested in the story， but I still had very little motivation to actually listen to it。 I think I finally have to admit that I just don't like listening to audiobooks！ 。。。more
Alex Clare
，
Enjoyed this for a different world view
Simon Butler
，
A well-told， magical realist reworking of a familiar mythological tale。 David Baptiste is a young solitary fisherman who secretly befriends a mermaid in waters near his small island in the lesser Antillies。 Later he rescues her after she is caught by American game fishermen and brought to shore。 The product of an ancient Taino curse， the rescued mermaid begin to revert back to her original human form and David finds himself falling in love。 One of the best things about this book is the skillful A well-told， magical realist reworking of a familiar mythological tale。 David Baptiste is a young solitary fisherman who secretly befriends a mermaid in waters near his small island in the lesser Antillies。 Later he rescues her after she is caught by American game fishermen and brought to shore。 The product of an ancient Taino curse， the rescued mermaid begin to revert back to her original human form and David finds himself falling in love。 One of the best things about this book is the skillful recreation of life in the 1970s on a poor Caribbean island， which still bears the scars of European slavery and colonialism。 The story arc is reasonably predictable but the narrative is also quite inventive - e。g。 some sections of the novel are excerpts from David's memoirs written 40 years later， whereas the mermaid's point of view is written as poetry。 A Costa Book of the Year award winner。 。。。more
Bronwen Griffiths
，
A wonderful， beautiful and humane book。 I loved everything about it - the characters， setting， story， language。。。Roffey is a consummate story-teller and the way she writes about love and sex here is sublime。 But there's much more to this story than that。 Roffey deftly weaves together myth， history and the story of slavery and oppression in the Caribbean in both a gentle and passionate way。 There is humour here too as well as darkness and tragedy。 A wonderful， beautiful and humane book。 I loved everything about it - the characters， setting， story， language。。。Roffey is a consummate story-teller and the way she writes about love and sex here is sublime。 But there's much more to this story than that。 Roffey deftly weaves together myth， history and the story of slavery and oppression in the Caribbean in both a gentle and passionate way。 There is humour here too as well as darkness and tragedy。 。。。more
Danika
，
"The Mermaid of Black Conch" was picked for our book club， and truthfully， it would not have been my pick based on the little that I knew about it。 As a general rule， I try to stay away from anything that ends up being mythical or based in fantasy。 And it was not hard to guess that that's what this book was going to involve。 But I've surprised even myself when I say that I didn't hate it and I almost even。。。 liked it。 Don't get me wrong - this book is strange。 The story is strange， the structure "The Mermaid of Black Conch" was picked for our book club， and truthfully， it would not have been my pick based on the little that I knew about it。 As a general rule， I try to stay away from anything that ends up being mythical or based in fantasy。 And it was not hard to guess that that's what this book was going to involve。 But I've surprised even myself when I say that I didn't hate it and I almost even。。。 liked it。 Don't get me wrong - this book is strange。 The story is strange， the structure is strange， and even the prose is pretty strange。 So much so， that I did struggle to immediately get hooked in and it took me longer than I should have to read it。 But at the core of "The Mermaid of Black Conch"， I found there was some good old fashioned storytelling。 Taking the book at face value， there was love， there was conflict， and there was some lovely world building with all of the characters playing their role nicely in the hierarchy。 If you dug deeper （which I haven't done as much as I could， but am hoping book club will facilitate）， there were even themes and social commentary on female sexuality， gender roles， race and freedoms。 I was personally happy to enjoy the story as it unfolded on a surface level， but the novel does lend itself to something with more depth without trying to cram too much in or hit you over the head with meaning。 My only other complaint was that there were sexual moments that seemed over-egged to me - surprisingly graphic and almost cringe-worthy given the tone and cadence of the rest of the book。 I personally could have done without it and gotten the same amount of enjoyment from those scenes with a little more subtlety。 All in all， I'm glad I've read this awarded novel and am looking forward to discussing it with others who， by the looks of it， loved it even more than I liked it。 。。。more
Hannah Keyes
，
What an intriguing， beautiful and magical book to read。 Set on a Caribbean island， we meet David in his pirogue at the start of the annual fishing olympics， playing his guitar and singing to himself。 The chain of events that unfold seem both so unbelievable and yet so fitting， striking the perfect balance of whimsy and realism。Set in the 1970s， this book gives you an insight into the simple lives these islanders lead。 How， in the small town of Black Conch the fishing olympics would be a highligh What an intriguing， beautiful and magical book to read。 Set on a Caribbean island， we meet David in his pirogue at the start of the annual fishing olympics， playing his guitar and singing to himself。 The chain of events that unfold seem both so unbelievable and yet so fitting， striking the perfect balance of whimsy and realism。Set in the 1970s， this book gives you an insight into the simple lives these islanders lead。 How， in the small town of Black Conch the fishing olympics would be a highlight of the season， how the masses of drunken fisherman might react to the astonishing capture of a real life mermaid， and how David， a fisherman himself， would find himself protecting this mermaid and ultimately falling in love with her。The setting， the endearing characters， the language， the memoir of David， the beautifully written appearances from the minor characters make for such a passionate and beautiful story， that you find yourself desperately rooting for their love to find a way。I particularly enjoyed the verses of Aycaiya， written as though her thoughts have poured out of her head and onto the page。 And also enjoyed hating the character of Pricilla who tries to disrupt the happy ending I was so hoping for。 This is a story of race， colonialism and its repercussions， friendship， love， feminism and ultimately human nature and it was a joy to read。 。。。more
Katherine Kreuter
，
I loved this book。 It's so clever and smart， touching on several very interesting themes。 So in this sense it's like the better sort of literary fiction。 Yet it's a compelling read with a strong narrative thread， so more like popular fiction in that sense。 Best of both worlds。 Great escapist reading， if you want to imaging you're in the Caribbean （and why not？）。 I won't spoil the plot， just urge you to read it。 I loved this book。 It's so clever and smart， touching on several very interesting themes。 So in this sense it's like the better sort of literary fiction。 Yet it's a compelling read with a strong narrative thread， so more like popular fiction in that sense。 Best of both worlds。 Great escapist reading， if you want to imaging you're in the Caribbean （and why not？）。 I won't spoil the plot， just urge you to read it。 。。。more
Debbie
，