The Mermaid of Black Conch

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