A review by ergative
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

 The reviews kept on calling it words like 'entertaining' and a 'sit-com' and 'funny' in addition to being deeply rooted in Caribbean folklore and turning mermaid myths on their heads. But when I read it, I didn't see any humor. It was about a bunch of penis-driven men doing horrible things to a mermaid they fish out of the sea, until another penis-driven (but nicer) man decides to rescue her. It may be turning mermaid myths on their heads, but the reason I like mermaid myths is because they are about unfathomable women who have their own domains of power and will never truly belong to the men who want to possess them. So if we flip it around, we're right back at stories of female disempowerment, and I'm just not there for that.