The Mermaid of Black Conch: The spellbinding winner of the Costa Book of the Year as read on BBC Radio 4

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Escape to the ocean this summer with the Costa Book of the Year 2020 Escape to the ocean with the entrancing, unforgettable winner of the Costa Book of the Year - as read on BBC Radio 4. '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 'Exquisite' ELIZABETH MACNEAL

Monique Roffey was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. She is the author of six novels and a memoir. The Mermaid of Black Conch won the Costa Book of the Year and the Costa Novel Award 2020. It was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2021, the Goldsmiths Prize 2020 and the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2021, and longlisted for the Orwell Prize, the Ondaatje Prize and the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature 2021. Her highly acclaimed previous books are sun dog, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle (shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2010), Archipelago (winner of the OCM Bocas Award for Caribbean Literature 2013), House of Ashes (shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2014), The Tryst and With the Kisses of His Mouth. Monique Roffey is a Senior Lecturer at the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University and a tutor for the National Writers Centre.

A 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