Name: The Mermaid of Black Conch
ISBN: 9781529115499

Monique Roffey

The Mermaid of Black Conch

April 1976: St Constance, a tiny Caribbean village on the the island of Black Conch. 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. 

But her fascination is her undoing. She hears his boat's engine again and follows it, and finds herself at the mercy of American tourists, landed on the island for the annual fishing competition. After a fearsome bettle, she is pulled out of the sea and strung up on the dock as a trophy. It is David who rescues her, and gently wins her trust — as slowly, painfully, she starts to transform into a woman again. But transformations are not always permanent, and jealousy, like love, can have the force of a hurricane, and last much longer.

Ryan Mateyk

A beautiful story of a fleeting love told in gorgeous Caribbean-tinged prose.

i don’t think i would’ve ever picked it up on my own, so i am very glad that 

Jiji

i don’t think i would’ve ever picked it up on my own, so i am very glad that @kym recommended it to me! :3

Delaney LaFalce

Katie Roberts

Lucy Hacker

“I want to stay my woman self
even here when my people long dead
I want to be here on land again
but deep inside I know there is still some mix up
I am still half and half
half woman and half cursed woman
cursed still in this new place
The sea is a strong pull.”

The Mermaid of Black Conch is one of the best and most intriguing stories I’ve read in a very long time - I absolutely loved it.

Ashamedly, I know very little about Caribbean literature, but what a beautiful introduction this novel was. The tale is centered around a mythical figure, a mermaid named Aycaiya, from Taino legends, cursed thousands of years ago to live in the sea, as the author explained when she was crowdfunding the novel:

“My mermaid is called Aycayia, or 'Sweet Voice', and she comes from the north Western part of the Caribbean. She is a woman cursed, for her beauty and her song. A Taino legend tells us she was banished, one night, when the Goddess Jagua sent a huracan to sweep her out to sea along with an old crone, Guanayoa who became an old leatherback turtle. This is just one of the many tales of mermaids in the Caribbean.”

The novel is based on the island of Black Conch, fictional but based on northern Tobago, and set in 1976. Aycaiya is caught by a pair of American fishermen, captured, and brought to shore. She is rescued by David - a young local fisherman - and the novel centres around his attempted to protect her. 

I feel Roffey’s tone is strongly feminist, and she also expertly weaves themes of colonialism and the aftermath of oppression throughout. Overall, it’s just a fascinating story, wonderfully written in prose and dialect, and I can’t actually believe it wasn’t nominated in the Booker Prize longlist in 2020. 

It was published by Peepal Press - a small Indie publisher, and I’m excited to explore more of their published authors, I enjoyed Roffey’s work that much. A good 9/10 from me! ❤️

Melanie 

Sara 

Samantha Varey

* 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

The Mermaid of Black Conch

Reviews

Highlights