Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Mermaid of Black Conch

Good stuff:
Interesting description of the land and how it changed because of colonialism.

Bad stuff:
Extremely hypersexual (the word ‘sexing’ was used so many times I wanted to pull my eyes out), needless and frequent girl-on-girl hate, lack of nuance, gross lack of hygiene, and the ‘born sexy yesterday’ trope that I vehemently dislike.

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nialiversuch's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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oliviaclaire's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Mermaid of Black Conch is a highly deserving winner of the Costa prize for best novel and has been shortlisted for at least three other awards. It is now also an Olivia Bradshaw Storygraph 5 Star Read.

This is its own kind of modern fairytale, set on the fictional Caribbean island of Black Conch in the 1970s where a local fisherman meets a mermaid early one morning off the coast. She is later caught by American tourists (who naturally intend to sell her to the highest bidder) and 'stolen' by our afformentioned fisherman, who attempts to care for her as she begins the transition from mermaid to, well, maid I guess. I won't give away any more than that but it is a wonderful and heartwrenching story with a diverse cast of well fleshed out characters.

The use of description, tone and atmosphere is truly transportive and I fell in love with nearly all of our core cast as we got glimpses inside their lives and their experience of the mermaid. In her afterword, Roffey takes the time to thank the Arts Council of England, The Royal Literary Foundation and The Author's Foundation for helping to fund her progress and if this book is the result, it is a testament to how vital these programmes are! I adored this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a story that straddles the boundary of contemporary fiction and fairy tale.

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molliepop's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Heartbreaking contemporary tale of a mermaid emerging from the Caribbean sea, and how her curse comes to affect those she encounters. Particularly liked how the hybrid that is the narrative voice mirrors the novel's discussions of hybridity and (not)belonging. Really loved the inclusion of a d/Deaf character and their signing dialogue.

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jadetrip's review against another edition

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libby_bebby's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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