And now onto the letter R and an unusual tale called The Mermaid of Black Conch, by Monique Roffey. Mostly set in the Caribbean in the 1970s, we open with David, a fisherman whose singing attracts a mermaid. Enchanted by this encounter, he returns to the same spot time and time again in order to sing for her. But one day, some American tourists catch her, bring her ashore and hang her up just like any other fish on the dock. While they celebrate in the local tavern, David rescues her and takes her home to help her recover, with the intention of returning her to the sea. But, the mermaid starts to lose her scales, then her tail and reverts to womanhood. Slowly, but surely David and Aycayia (the mermaid) fall in love. Told from different points of views and from different times, this is a strange, but beautiful story of love, friendship, devotion and separation. We learn that Aycayia was cursed by jealous women in her circle, and, as a result, has been a mermaid for hundreds of years. We see her blossom into the woman she was destined to be, but there is always a shadow looming and it becomes apparent that she cannot escape the curse for long. There are tender moments and incredibly sad moments too. I really enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters, and there are some good supporting roles. The dialogue and descriptions really bring the reader into the world of Black Conch. Many people have gone wild over this book and indeed, it was the winner of the Costa Book of the Year. I did appreciate the magical realism that this book offered, but, for me, some parts felt a little repetitive. However, if you are looking for a mermaid story that isn't saccharine, then this could be the book for you.
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 272 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.98
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment