The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
“Womanhood was a dangerous business if you didn’t get it right.” “History or love. One must win... But we can do better than letting history win out over love.” “The Mermaid of Black Conch” is no fairy tale, even though the title may suggest so. It’s a poignant exploration of love, sex, power, loneliness, language, and the impact of outsiders on a close-knit community. Written in Creole English (we had to use a Caribbean dictionary to get the meaning of a few words) the novel shifts between different times and voices using a mixture of forms: poetry for the mermaid (Aycaya), journal entries for the fisherman (David) who falls in love with her, and an omniscient narrator who permeates the other characters’ thoughts. Oppression can take different shapes but it’s always “feelings of being insecure that make someone want to take from others.” Both female protagonists have been cursed, one by jealous women and the other by history, and only love and speech can make them free. LRB Critical p