Description
Book SynopsisEscape to the ocean with the entrancing, unforgettable winner of the Costa Book of the Year - as read on BBC Radio 4.
* PRE-ORDER MONIQUE ROFFEY'S NEW NOVEL, PASSIONTIDE, NOW *
'Mesmerising' MAGGIE O'FARRELL
'A unique talent' BERNARDINE EVARISTO
'Wonderful' BRIDGET COLLINS
'Brilliant' CLARE CHAMBERS
Near the island of Black Conch, a fisherman sings to himself while waiting for a catch. But David attracts a sea-dweller that he never expected - Aycayia, an innocent young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid.
When American tourists capture Aycayia, David rescues her and vows to win her trust. Slowly, painfully, she transforms into a woman again. Yet as their love grows, they discover that the world around them is changing - and they cannot escape the curse for ever . . .
'A bittersweet love story . . . A joy to read' BBC News
'A fiercely modern mermaid story' The Times
'Wondrous . . . A striking achievement' Sunday Times
'Not your standard mermaid' MARGARET ATWOOD
Trade ReviewA daring, mesmerising novel that continually unseats expectation - I was deliciously unsure, throughout, what would happen next. With her fierce and shapeshifting mermaid, Roffey has created
a modern myth about belonging and the bonds humans form with each other and with their land, single-handedly bringing magic realism up to date -- Maggie O’Farrell, No.1 bestselling author of Hamnet
I absolutely devoured The Mermaid of Black Conch. It's wonderful, immersive, evocative... A masterclass of world-building -- Bridget Collins, No.1 bestselling author of The Binding
Once I had started it, I couldn't stop. It was quite unlike anything I'd ever read.
Such brilliant myth-making; such powerful storytelling -- Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures
About wonder, spectacle, as well as greed.
The writing is exquisite -- Elizabeth Macneal, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doll Factory and Circus of Wonders
A reading experience
as captivating as a tropical storm. Full-throated and mesmerizing -- C. Pam Zhang, Booker-longlisted author of How Much of These Hills is Gold
Bighearted . . . Sentence by sensuous sentence, Roffey builds a verdant, complicated world that it is a pleasure to live inside . . . A fairy tale. But it is a ghost story too * New York Times *
Sensuous, beguiling . . . Roffey's tale convincingly
transplants a mythical creature into a modern setting . . . Wondrous * Sunday Times *
Wonderfully written, with both soul and intense drama - it glistens almost, like the mermaid! -- Diana Evans, author of Ordinary People
Stunning . . .
A mesmerising read -- Nathan Filer, Costa-winning author of The Shock of the Fall
Extraordinary, beautifully written . . . We found it completely compelling . . . It feels like a classic in the making -- Costa Judges, 2020
