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A review by _inge_
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.0
This story is set on the fictional Caribbean island of Black Conch. It is the story of a mermaid who gets caught and then changes back to human, from the point of view of the man who loves her. There are also some parts from the mermaid's point of view and a narrator which include the stories of the people who befriend the mermaid while she is on land, in human form.
I like the way the author takes an ancient story of women being cursed into mermaids and imagines what might happen when one of them comes back ashore, in contact with modern human life. There are elements of what here life was like before she was a mermaid, her time in the ocean and back on land a couple of centuries later. Then we also see what modern life on a tiny Caribbean island is like, including the echoes from its colonial past into modern relationships. The story of Reggie, a dead young boy, is not just a random addition but he knows how to communicate with the mermaid because of it.
Overall, plot is not terribly complicated but very engaging. The writing style is interesting. The different voices are truly different and there is some use of local dialects. Not as a gimmick, but as part of the characters. The relationship of David and Aycayia is well done, it is realistic and not rushed. Would recommend to read this if you like books which explore non-western lore, diverse characters but not too many, and if you like your romance as an aside instead of a main dish.
I like the way the author takes an ancient story of women being cursed into mermaids and imagines what might happen when one of them comes back ashore, in contact with modern human life. There are elements of what here life was like before she was a mermaid, her time in the ocean and back on land a couple of centuries later. Then we also see what modern life on a tiny Caribbean island is like, including the echoes from its colonial past into modern relationships. The story of Reggie, a dead young boy, is not just a random addition but he knows how to communicate with the mermaid because of it.
Overall, plot is not terribly complicated but very engaging. The writing style is interesting. The different voices are truly different and there is some use of local dialects. Not as a gimmick, but as part of the characters. The relationship of David and Aycayia is well done, it is realistic and not rushed. Would recommend to read this if you like books which explore non-western lore, diverse characters but not too many, and if you like your romance as an aside instead of a main dish.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt