The Mermaid of Black Conch
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- Create Date：2021-03-16 03:17:09
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Monique Roffey
- ISBN：B086MDPKNC
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Summary
April 1976: St Constance， a tiny Caribbean village on the island of Black Conch， at the start of the rainy season。 A fisherman sings to himself in his pirogue， waiting for a catch—but attracts a sea-dweller he doesn’t expect。
Aycayia， a beautiful young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid， has been swimming the Caribbean Sea for centuries。 And she is entranced by this man David and his song。
Aycayia， a beautiful young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid， has been swimming the Caribbean Sea for centuries。 And she is entranced by this man David and his song。
Reviews
Joan
，
This beautifully written book re-imagines how the myth of the mermaid could possibly be true。 During a fishing competition two american men catch the mermaid and haul her into town。 David a local fisherman had already been entranced by her when he first saw her at sea - and when he sees her hanging up in port he rescues her and takes her to his house。 The re-telling of any story is not in the events that happened so much as in the telling and this story was beautifully told。 Mermaids are such a This beautifully written book re-imagines how the myth of the mermaid could possibly be true。 During a fishing competition two american men catch the mermaid and haul her into town。 David a local fisherman had already been entranced by her when he first saw her at sea - and when he sees her hanging up in port he rescues her and takes her to his house。 The re-telling of any story is not in the events that happened so much as in the telling and this story was beautifully told。 Mermaids are such a part of myth that I really wanted to believe this story about ancient curses and the power of love。 This is a version of the mermaid story that will stay in my mind for a long time。 Another thing I loved about this book was the island it was set on the carribbean， its people and its history。 I thought it was a master stroke how the white men who captured the mermaid thought that she was their property - which whilst never referred to in the story interweaved so brilliantly with the history of slavery in the carribbean。 A masterful storyteller， I will definately read other books by this author。 。。。more
Barry
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Bought as winner of the Costa Book Awards。 So glad I did， as it's only when I finished it that I realised it's by the author of 'White Woman on a Green Bicycle'， which I loved。 This is very good; a worthy winner。 Bought as winner of the Costa Book Awards。 So glad I did， as it's only when I finished it that I realised it's by the author of 'White Woman on a Green Bicycle'， which I loved。 This is very good; a worthy winner。 。。。more
Steve Streeter
，
The Costa book of the year 2020 is unique and in many ways unclassifiable。。。 the nearest to a definition could be an adult fairytale。 The arrival of a mermaid following “ man’s “ greed and desire to control leads to an escape and a love story 。 Yes ， sensual but also about the different types of love and compassion between humans。 The tale is mystifying and mesmerising in its plot and language and throughout the reader feels the sadness and dilemma of the mermaid。 A celebration of love and how s The Costa book of the year 2020 is unique and in many ways unclassifiable。。。 the nearest to a definition could be an adult fairytale。 The arrival of a mermaid following “ man’s “ greed and desire to control leads to an escape and a love story 。 Yes ， sensual but also about the different types of love and compassion between humans。 The tale is mystifying and mesmerising in its plot and language and throughout the reader feels the sadness and dilemma of the mermaid。 A celebration of love and how sometimes to love someone means to set them free。 。。。more
Kerry
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It was fine， I mean。。。 I didn't hate it， but It left me feeling empty。 I was expecting a little more thought from the characters， and a little less shallowness， "what's in it for me？！" Type-a-thing。 It made me cringe in some ways， especially the parts where the men wanted to assert their dominance and act out their urges。 I wanted a little more back story from the Mermaid。 More history， lore and how the magic of her curse worked。 But this is just my preference。 Like I said， it was fine， just mad It was fine， I mean。。。 I didn't hate it， but It left me feeling empty。 I was expecting a little more thought from the characters， and a little less shallowness， "what's in it for me？！" Type-a-thing。 It made me cringe in some ways， especially the parts where the men wanted to assert their dominance and act out their urges。 I wanted a little more back story from the Mermaid。 More history， lore and how the magic of her curse worked。 But this is just my preference。 Like I said， it was fine， just made me feel "Meh" okay that happened， let's move on。。。 。。。more
Kimberly Pendleton
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A fantastical tale in an everyday setting， and I felt a real feminist read， a celebration of women， and of women helping women。
Debbi Barton
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A modern day story of myth and love 💘I enjoyed this more than I expected， such tender sensitive writing ✍
Ann Bettys
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Terrific！ Enhanced by the narration by Ben Onwukue which is so deep and rich。 A simple story but so well told， lovely textures of the island and its people。 Such sadness in the lives of the women。 Definitely very memorable。
Kyle Ursin
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AMAZING novel。 read it ！
Nikita Gill
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This is one of my favourite books of all time。 A mermaid story unlike any other！
Sam
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I could not put this down and devoured it two nights in a row。 This is a love poem， a myth， a history， a story of women and their oppression over the centuries， of colonialism， racism and bigotry and the fear of those who are different。 This is about how we rape the natural world and how we have lost our ability to understand its language。 There are so many layers in this beautifully written novel that I could go on and on。 The language is as magic as the tale it tells。 "You men born from us and I could not put this down and devoured it two nights in a row。 This is a love poem， a myth， a history， a story of women and their oppression over the centuries， of colonialism， racism and bigotry and the fear of those who are different。 This is about how we rape the natural world and how we have lost our ability to understand its language。 There are so many layers in this beautifully written novel that I could go on and on。 The language is as magic as the tale it tells。 "You men born from us and yet you assume power。 Is we who give you that power。" Wow。 。。。more
Niamh Mcmahon
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This is a lovely read， more like a novella than a novel but it packs a punch for it's short length。 The imagery is stunning， the use of local dialect， the descriptiveness of the landscape， the sea and the mermaid are immersive。 I loved the concept and was hooked from the beginning。 I felt it lagged a little in the middle， but an unusual and memorable book。 This is a lovely read， more like a novella than a novel but it packs a punch for it's short length。 The imagery is stunning， the use of local dialect， the descriptiveness of the landscape， the sea and the mermaid are immersive。 I loved the concept and was hooked from the beginning。 I felt it lagged a little in the middle， but an unusual and memorable book。 。。。more
Sophie
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I have really mixed feelings about this one。 The setting in St Constance， a small fishing village on the Caribbean island of Black Conch， is vivid and tangible and the atmosphere is incredible。 Roffey really cemented her story in Black Conch and the setting really played a character of its own。 The sound effects and the narration of the brilliant audiobook helped this a lot as well， I think。But I also didn’t particularly enjoy the book， however much I appreciated the craft of it。 The pursuit and I have really mixed feelings about this one。 The setting in St Constance， a small fishing village on the Caribbean island of Black Conch， is vivid and tangible and the atmosphere is incredible。 Roffey really cemented her story in Black Conch and the setting really played a character of its own。 The sound effects and the narration of the brilliant audiobook helped this a lot as well， I think。But I also didn’t particularly enjoy the book， however much I appreciated the craft of it。 The pursuit and capture of the mermaid， Acyayia， was visceral and really exposed and explored the historical and current trapping of women。 Taming， domesticating， reducing them into something for for make use and social consumption， as well as a reflection on colonialism。 It was skilfully done and uncomfortable to read。 But my major issue was the sexual language。 This book is lusty。 For me it was an uncomfortable lustiness when tied in with the themes of colonialism and female ownership and largely from the perspective of David， even though I liked him as a character。 It was just uncomfortable。 Also， the endless use of the word ‘sexing’ was just a bit gross。 I totally understand why it won the Costa， however， and I’m genuinely surprised it didn’t make the Women’s Prize longlist。 。。。more
David
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A fascinating， powerful and moving twist on the traditional mermaid story， set in the titular Caribbean village。 The novel uses the mermaid trope to discuss magic， love， sexuality， a sense of belonging and how to live as a mature person。 There is much fine writing and enlivening humour， but the book is not immune to cliché。 Aside from anything else， this is an absorbing view into Caribbean life and culture， including some interesting local vocabulary。
Lucy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was great。 Different from the kind of books I usually read but it seemed to be EVERYWHERE。 So I caved and bought a copy。 Finished it in a couple of days。 It was unusually written but fairly easy to read。 It just seemed to be a bit of a nothing story for me。 It was nice but I just felt I wanted a little more from it。 I got to page 170 ish （there's only 180 pages or so） but there was still so much to be tied up。 It all ended a bit abruptly and an "all was fine" kind of finish。 I would have lik It was great。 Different from the kind of books I usually read but it seemed to be EVERYWHERE。 So I caved and bought a copy。 Finished it in a couple of days。 It was unusually written but fairly easy to read。 It just seemed to be a bit of a nothing story for me。 It was nice but I just felt I wanted a little more from it。 I got to page 170 ish （there's only 180 pages or so） but there was still so much to be tied up。 It all ended a bit abruptly and an "all was fine" kind of finish。 I would have liked another final meeting between the two main characters some years later to round it off at least。 But it just。。。stopped。 It was also a shame that the ending was pretty much given away by one of the characters half way through。 There are 3 voices written。 The main 'story' is the bulk of the writing but there are diary excerpts from the main male character that are set several years after the events of the book and the voice of the main female character （the mermaid）。 She 'speaks' only in verse so it is clear who it is but she is also speaking retrospectively。 （SPOILERS） But she mentions she is writing a message in a bottle from the sea and talks about her sadness at having to come back to the sea many years after。 So its kind of pointless reading any further after that。 Love doesn't win。 She goes back to the sea。 Story over。 It just felt like the wrong place to put it。 So yes I enjoyed it but it didn't move me， grip me or change my life like so many have。 Maybe my expectations were too high because of the hype surrounding it。 It's not one I would read time and time again。 But it was good。 。。。more
Wang
，
I did enjoy the book。 Though it is filled with a bit of cliche， it's mostly fun to read。 I am horrified at what happened to all Miss Rain's books in the end。 I did enjoy the book。 Though it is filled with a bit of cliche， it's mostly fun to read。 I am horrified at what happened to all Miss Rain's books in the end。 。。。more
anna marie
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i was ready for this to explore racialised gender n violence against women because mermaids are obviously hypergendered & hyperracialised figures but what i wasnt expecting was how this includes disability！！ which i really really enjoyed & the way it spoke to the materiality of a mermaid & the embodiment of speech and yh！！ i did find it quite 。。。 heterosexual tho
Ashley Amos
，
Trinidad born Monique Roffey relied on Arts Council funding to write this brilliant novel and I can testify it was money well spent。 Winner at the 2020 Costa Book Awards， ‘The Mermaid of Black Conch’ provides a shocking opening when a mermaid is hooked by a boat of in a fishing competition。 The American boss of the boat， who has all the compassion of Donald Trump， decides the mermaid will be reeled in and sting up on shore as a trophy that will hopefully win the competition and snare him a fortu Trinidad born Monique Roffey relied on Arts Council funding to write this brilliant novel and I can testify it was money well spent。 Winner at the 2020 Costa Book Awards， ‘The Mermaid of Black Conch’ provides a shocking opening when a mermaid is hooked by a boat of in a fishing competition。 The American boss of the boat， who has all the compassion of Donald Trump， decides the mermaid will be reeled in and sting up on shore as a trophy that will hopefully win the competition and snare him a fortune。 This scene is a battle between mermaid and fishermen that rages over many pages and maintains an awesome intensity。 The reader is revolted by the whole process， which bears the hallmarks of a rape。 The novel explores questions of identity; to what extent is the mermaid human？ Having been strung up， the mermaid is rescued by a fisherman called David Baptiste; he had seen the mermaid off Murder Bay before she was captured。 The rest of the novel meditates on the mermaid living in the community of Black Conch with David， Miss Rain and her deaf son， Reggie。 She transforms into a woman and is taught language again。 Her transformation is beautifully written， with marine organisms crawling out of every orifice。 Though the period of living with David drags a little bit， Roffey picks up the pace for the thrilling climax。 This is a novel where the writing in itself will impress; it is well worth picking up。 I was certainly captured by its expressive prose， hook， line and sinker。 Deserves all plaudits。 。。。more
Gael Impiazzi
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Loved this book。 Sensitive and compassionate consideration of gender， colour， colonialism， well-presented characters， all wrapped up in magical realism。 Just beautiful。 Best book of the year so far for me。
Mrs E V Saxton
，
Such a lovely book with beautiful detailed characters。
Jojosbookshelf
，
Monique Roffey explores the Caribbean landscape with the sensitivity of Jean Rhys， and new womanhood and age-old resentment with the frankness of Euripides' Medea Monique Roffey explores the Caribbean landscape with the sensitivity of Jean Rhys， and new womanhood and age-old resentment with the frankness of Euripides' Medea 。。。more
Resh （The Book Satchel）
，
Set in 1976 in a fictional Carribean island called the Black Conch （village St。 Constance）。 The book unfolds through diary entries of a fisherman， and memories of the mermaid。 A fisherman singing while trying to catch fish attracts the attention of a cursed mermaid。 The man is David and the mermaid is Aycayia， cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid because her beauty is a threat， and has been living as a mermaid。 They fall in love，This isn't a regular mermaid story。 It is brutal， and more Set in 1976 in a fictional Carribean island called the Black Conch （village St。 Constance）。 The book unfolds through diary entries of a fisherman， and memories of the mermaid。 A fisherman singing while trying to catch fish attracts the attention of a cursed mermaid。 The man is David and the mermaid is Aycayia， cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid because her beauty is a threat， and has been living as a mermaid。 They fall in love，This isn't a regular mermaid story。 It is brutal， and more real。 I loved that the description of the mermaid was realistic instead of being made palatable to human imagination。 She is not a Disney princess but an indigenous woman swimming in the waters for centuries because of a curse。 The mermaid is red-skinned with 'barnacled， seaweed-clotted head'。 Here is a description - "Her hair was the worst part， a mess of fire and ropes of this and that。 Jellyfish had come up with her in clusters of long blue veins。 Sea moss trailed from her shoulders like slithers of beard。 Barnacles speckled the swell of her hips。 Her torso was sturdy and muscular， finely scaled over， as if she wore a tunic of sharkskin。 She was crawling with sea lice"。The slim novel also explores men's greed， lust， the heinous treatment towards woman and wanting to hurt them/molest them。 Some of these scenes were triggering。 Love forms the major theme of the novel。 David's love for Aycayia。 There's also a white woman whose ancestors were slave owners， reunited with the black man she knew in her youth。 Personally I am a huge fan of magical realism。 But there were portions in the book that did not work for me。 I wondered if a magical twist was necessary to the plot。 But at the same time I enjoyed the language and writing in the book。 The novel also talks about legends and folklore— one being of mermen who lived deep in the sea and came onto land to mate with river maidensMy favourite sections being David caring for the mermaid， and how they communicate with one another。 The mermaid is captured by men and David saves her by stealing her away。 She does not trust him yet， as she was harmed by other men but slowly he gains her trust and confidence。 The metamorphosis she undergoes， growing legs， were beautifully explored。 David filling up a bathtub with water。 How they stay hidden from those who hunt the mermaid。 Monique Roffey's words are the best part of the novel。 Her style is elegant and unique。3。5 starsThank you to the publisher for an e-copy of the novel。 All opinions my own 。。。more
Sandeep Narayanan
，
Set on a Caribbean island in the 1970s， this book is a love story between a beautiful young woman cursed to live as a mermaid and a fisherman。This intriguing premise is what drew me to the book。 Unfortunately I was quite let down by it， the language， the ideas and the overall tone felt shallow and hurried。The mysticism in the story also feels light and repetitive。The Mermaid of Black Conch seems to be an insta favourite amongst bookstagrammers but for me it felt underwhelming。 Not a popular opin Set on a Caribbean island in the 1970s， this book is a love story between a beautiful young woman cursed to live as a mermaid and a fisherman。This intriguing premise is what drew me to the book。 Unfortunately I was quite let down by it， the language， the ideas and the overall tone felt shallow and hurried。The mysticism in the story also feels light and repetitive。The Mermaid of Black Conch seems to be an insta favourite amongst bookstagrammers but for me it felt underwhelming。 Not a popular opinion but I stick by it。 。。。more
Maria
，
I borrowed this as an audiobook and was enthralled from first listen。 A wonderful tale （pardon the pun！） beautifully narrated to bring the story to life。 Nuanced themes of ownership， misogyny and colonialism， this book is rich in history as well as myth。 It explores the many faces of love， friendship and the ties that bind。 The main characters are well drawn and the descriptive prose meant I could almost taste the salt air from the sea on my lips。 Very much recommend。
Kim
，
"Heart feeling was my knowing on land oncein the island of Black ConchI was the mermaid who lived there onceI was the mermaid of Black Conch"Loved this original story of an ancient mermaid in the Caribbean being saved by a fisherman on the Island of Black Conch。 She's definitely not your typical Disney nor Danish fairy-tale mermaid and is a whole lot more interesting。 Very deserving of The 2021 Costa Award win。 "Heart feeling was my knowing on land oncein the island of Black ConchI was the mermaid who lived there onceI was the mermaid of Black Conch"Loved this original story of an ancient mermaid in the Caribbean being saved by a fisherman on the Island of Black Conch。 She's definitely not your typical Disney nor Danish fairy-tale mermaid and is a whole lot more interesting。 Very deserving of The 2021 Costa Award win。 。。。more
Megan Pitman
，
WORTH THE HYPE。 That's it， that's the review。If only I actually could use that many words for my reviews。 This book is beautiful and spectacularly written。 It's a grown up mythology tale that flows from page one to the very end without the need or want to come up for air。 It combines descriptive elegant paragraphs， diary excerpts that make you hear David's voice speaking from the pages and poetry prose that says so much in so little。 The book isn't just a story about a real life mermaid， it is a WORTH THE HYPE。 That's it， that's the review。If only I actually could use that many words for my reviews。 This book is beautiful and spectacularly written。 It's a grown up mythology tale that flows from page one to the very end without the need or want to come up for air。 It combines descriptive elegant paragraphs， diary excerpts that make you hear David's voice speaking from the pages and poetry prose that says so much in so little。 The book isn't just a story about a real life mermaid， it is a story of passion， jealousy， forgiveness， understanding， love， friendship， differences， colonialism and race。 All of that was packed into 187 pages and done brilliantly well while still being a mythological fairy tale that has you enthralled。 It would be easy to say it can't be done and that it definitely can't be done without a touch of 'Disney' but the proof is here it can be， it isn't whimsical at all。 On the surface I want to call this book simple but the takeaways are far from it。 It's deep but subtly so。 I think this book will get under your skin and will sit on my shelf as one of my classics that I will return to many many times。 It is the kind of book that I wish I could have studied at school （although some of the more sexual scenes may have incited some teenage giggles）。 Unlike me I don't have much more to say here。 Read it， let it soak in， believe in fairytales and myths but know they aren't what they seem。 。。。more
Lauren Cook
，
An absolutely stunning piece of writing。 Raw and beautiful。
Hannah
，
This was unlike any book I’ve read before。 I liked it but I didn’t love it。 For me there were too many themes， I just wanted the focus on the love story between David and the mermaid， which was hypnotic。 I loved the sections that were from David’s diary and the thoughts of the mermaid written in verse but I think the unknown third narrator made it repetive。 I enjoyed the themes of jealousy and loneliness and loved the setting， the myths and legends of the culture and the imagery。 Apart from too This was unlike any book I’ve read before。 I liked it but I didn’t love it。 For me there were too many themes， I just wanted the focus on the love story between David and the mermaid， which was hypnotic。 I loved the sections that were from David’s diary and the thoughts of the mermaid written in verse but I think the unknown third narrator made it repetive。 I enjoyed the themes of jealousy and loneliness and loved the setting， the myths and legends of the culture and the imagery。 Apart from too many themes I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t love it， I may try it again in the future。 。。。more
Lydia Paladina
，
A beautiful and evocative novel that cleverly crafts myth with real and relevant issues。
swooshy
，
The more I reflect on this book and read other reviews of it， the more I realise its hidden depths， much like looking out upon an ocean。 I didn't care for the portrayal of womanhood whilst reading， but now I recognise it as a kind of reclamation。 The story delves into themes such as objectification， culture， heritage， social isolation， colonialism。。。 yet the read didn't feel overly demanding or heavy-going。 A book to absorb and ponder on。 The more I reflect on this book and read other reviews of it， the more I realise its hidden depths， much like looking out upon an ocean。 I didn't care for the portrayal of womanhood whilst reading， but now I recognise it as a kind of reclamation。 The story delves into themes such as objectification， culture， heritage， social isolation， colonialism。。。 yet the read didn't feel overly demanding or heavy-going。 A book to absorb and ponder on。 。。。more
Sophie Bowley-aicken
，