As the marketing copy says: ‘This enchanting tale of a cursed mythical creature and the lonely fisherman who falls in love with her is “a daring, mesmerizing novel…single-handedly bringing magic realism up-to-date” (Maggie O’Farrell, best-selling author of Hamnet).’
I really loved this book. It’s the stuff of fairy tales and Caribbean lore. In 1976, David is fishing off the island of Black Conch when he meets a mermaid named Aycayia. She is a big and powerful creature of the sea who is enamoured with his guitar playing. They meet several times in the same spot but one day David accidentally lures her into danger.
Two Americans have chartered a fishing vessel and catch Aycayia. They are thrilled with their luck and dream of the wealth they’ll have selling her to a museum.
David, under the cover of darkness, rescues Aycayia but he has another problem on his hands when she starts turning from a mermaid back into a young woman. Gossip, nosy neighbours, long-time grudges and all the vices of a small island collide with the beautiful love story between two lonely creatures.
Give it a read: The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey