My thanks to W.F. Howes for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Mermaid of Black Conch’ by Monique Roffey in exchange for an honest review. It is narrated by Ben Onwukue and Vivienne Acheampong. I already owned the ebook edition and so did a combined read/listen for an immersive experience.

Years ago I read Monique Roffey’s ‘The White Woman on the Green Bicycle’ for a library reading group and was very impressed with it, so I was very excited to learn that she had written a novel featuring a mermaid.

I love novels featuring sea lore and especially mermaids and had heard much praise for this novel. It’s no surprise that ‘The Mermaid of Black Conch’ won the 2020 Costa Book of the Year and other accolades as it is just wonderful.

March 1976. St Constance is a tiny Caribbean village on the island of Black Conch. Fisherman David Baptiste sings to himself in his pirogue, waiting patiently for a catch. Instead, he attracts the attention of Aycayia, a beautiful young woman who had been cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid. She has been swimming the Caribbean Sea for centuries though now finds herself entranced by this man and his song.

Yet disaster strikes when during a fishing competition two Americans manage to hook and land the mermaid. Their plan is to take her back to the mainland and sell her. That or kill and mount her as a trophy.

No more details in order to avoid spoilers, though I will say that the situation becomes quite tense.

Aside from a powerful work of magical realism and a mythic love story, this novel also explores the legacy of colonialism and slavery in the Caribbean. One of its main characters is Mrs. Rain, a white woman whose ancestors settled on the island. She still owns much of the land though she has a strong bond with the islanders and is acutely aware of her family’s role in the island’s history. She also has a son, Reginald, with a black man, though he left her some years previously. Mrs. Rain and Reginald, who is deaf, join with David to help Aycayia.

This is an incredible book and the audiobook added a new dimension by including music especially written for it. In addition, David and other characters speak in patois and English Creole. Its narrators captured this in a manner much more authentic than I would have been able to imagine in my head while reading.

I am familiar with Ben Onwukue’s narration of various audiobooks and I felt he did an excellent job of reading the major part of the story. Vivienne Acheampong narrated Aycayia’s poems and reflections that are scattered throughout the narrative. Her voice was melodious and exquisite.

Overall, this book/audiobook was just perfection. I have since purchased my own copy.

I enjoyed the exotic element of the story, the narration and the setting. It was beautifully told and engaging. A wonderful love story.

Sad to say this wasn't for me. I saw it around when in first came out and wasn't really interested, but then it won the Costa book award and i could listen to the audiobook via netgalley. The audiobook was well narrated and i appreciated the writing, but the plot and characters didn't do much for me. I only was really annoyed most of the time by the main character and the pacing. Next time i need to trust my instinct and not let book prizes influence my reading.

I loved the narration of this book, particularly love books which have two different narrators, with the short female parts being beautiful. A gorgeous story, magical realism is something I’ve never read before, this was a great start, I loved it.

I was initially put off by the cover but I am so glad I gave it a chance. The narrator was perfect for the book. An absolutely haunting tale of love, loss and belonging. The mermaid's story is told from several different character's points of view, and often left me feeling heartbroken. The tale reminded me of The Last Unicorn, the melodic writing transporting you to a more innocent you, where mermaids and curses are real. It left me totally enchanted.

Much as I may try to listen to award winning books with an open mind, I do find myself judging before I've hit the play button. Is it going to be too 'right on' or politically correct to be enjoyable? I have to say Ben Onwukue and Vivienne Acheampong provided wonderful narration and their performances alone warrant the time spent listening. The story was sweet and fanciful, with loads of imaginative flair and intricate details. The characters were beautifully drawn and full of pathos. A worthy winner of the Costa award

This is first of all, a skilfully written love story, based in the tiny Caribbean village of St Constance, between David Baptiste, a fisherman, and Aycayia, a beautiful young woman cursed to be a mermaid.

But, this book is so much more than just that. Amongst the Caribbean folklore and myths, amongst the bittersweet love story many themes are explored.Themes of belonging, self identity, unconditional love, female jealousy, family and loss, are examined in such a raw, unfiltered way, without any sentimentality.

For example, Aycayia’s transformation from mermaid to human, is gross and at times uncomfortable, not at all fairytale like, the love story is tender but lustful, all the characters are at times free at times trapped by circumstances, everything was written in such a masterful way!

I particularly loved the way the story was narrated- we have Aycayia’s voice with its beautiful poetry, David Baptiste journal entries, which look back on past events, intertwined with the third person narrator.

I also felt that the characters were fantastically written and I loved how diverse they all were. Not just the protagonists, but all of the supporting characters too.

I don’t want to go into too many details for fear of spoiling the plot, but I loved everything about this novel- from the highly descriptive language, to the wonderfully written characters, to the themes explored and the way that the story was told, for me it was such a perfectly written novel which will stay with me for a long time and I will probably re-read.

This audiobook version, for me really added another dimension to the story and I highly recommend listening and reading this story at the same time.

Mermaid Aycayia is caught by American tourists off the coast of Black Conch, a small Caribbean island. Rescued by David, a fisherman, she turns back into the beautiful young woman she had been before she was cursed by the island’s jealous wives. Soon, she finds she can’t escape animosity.

With an omniscient Creole English narrative, and in forms ranging from poetry, journal entries and prose, The Mermaid of Black Conch addresses othering, the legacy of colonialism, and the female internalisation of the patriarchy.

Roffey's writing is a joy to read and to listen to.

Performed by Ben Onwukue, Vivienne Acheampong, the audiobook is faithful to the original text.

My thanks to NetGalley and W F Howes for the audiobook.

The Mermaid of Black Conch
By Monique Roffey
Narrated by: Ben Onwukue, Vivienne Acheampong

Thank you NetGalley and W.F Howes for giving me this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This is a story of a woman, Aycayia, who has been cursed for ber beauty by jealous wives and doomed to life as a mermaid swimming alone in the Caribbean Sea, until one day she is enchanted by the music played by David, a fisherman. Tragically she is captured by some other fishermen and her life, and those who come in contact with her, is changed in a way that they least expect...

This is a story of love, loneliness, jealousy and physical and emotional evolution. Using magical realism and intricate descriptions which surpass our preconceived ideas of what a mermaid should look like, the narrative delves deep into the depths of human emotion and shows the extent that people will go to when they can’t bear to see someone happy. It is an exploration of the expectations that men and women place on each other and the detrimental effects this has. A story of racism, cruelty and colonialism and the consequence on people’s behaviour. A story of kindness, friendships and acceptance of differences amongst ridicule and suspicion.

The lyrical and poetic style of writing coupled with the performance and Caribbean accents of the two narrators, brings the story to life and is a mesmerising listening experience. This book was not like anything I have read or listened to before and I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed the overall story and found myself feeling sorry for the main characters. There were a few uncomfortable moments and I’m glad I was on headphones as this is certainly not a suitable book for listening to around children...I wasn’t expecting so much swearing and so many vivid descriptions of the intimate relationship between David and Aycayia. However putting aside those parts of the book I can see why this won the Costa Novel Award 2020 and I would recommend it if you like magical realism, mythology, poetry and deeply emotional love stories.

Content and trigger warning: This book contains explicit adult content, suicidal thoughts, violence, racism and swearing and is not suitable for listening to around children

Having recently won the Costa Overall Prize, I was intrigued to read this book. It tells the story of David, a young fisherman living on Black Conch Island in 1976 and Aycayia, a beautiful woman cursed to live as a mermaid. Interwoven throughout with passages of poetry, diary entries and general prose, the narrative looks at the lives and loves of a small Caribbean village, the power of acceptance, the depth of prejudice and tells a mermaid story unlike any other. I loved the way the story was written, almost in vignettes and I thought the writing was gorgeous. I also loved the narrator for the audiobook, who provided an authenticity to the story with a beautiful West Indian accent. The relationships felt real and messy and the way in which Aycayia's journey was told had an incredibly visceral quality to it - the smells and dirt and general unpleasantness were a wonderful touch. Overall, this was a really touching and beautifully told story and I would definitely recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.