From the author of The White Woman on the Green Bicycle and Archipelago comes what might be Monique Roffey’s most ambitious and accomplished novel yet. It’s a feat of invention – a brilliant interweaving of mermaid myth and the effects of colonial legacies on modern life.
The time and place is 1976 in a small fishing village on the island of Black Conch. David is out strumming his guitar, hoping for a catch when he attracts the attention of Aycaycia, a beautiful woman whom jealous wives cursed to live as a mermaid. Some weeks later Aycaycia is caught by American tourists out on a fishing trip. Seen as source of cash, she’s strung up by them, then rescued by David. While in his care, she begins to transform back into a woman.
Blending myth and history, magic and reality, this multi-voiced, multi-textured novel (it features journal excerpts and verse) tells a rich tale of love, jealousy and freedom, exposing racism, oppression and gender inequalities through its otherworldly cloak.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
March 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.
The Mermaid of Black Conch features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Sharing Diverse Voices, Audiobooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Recommendations
The Mermaid of Black Conch is available in Paperback, Audiobook
The Mermaid of Black Conch was written by Monique Roffey and published by Vintage Classics an imprint of Vintage Publishing
The Mermaid of Black Conch has 234 pages
Yes it is part of Vintage Earth series
£8.99
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