The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey review – a fishy tale of doomed womanhood

In short: "Magical touches blend with precise realism in this bittersweet tale of a mermaid trying to put the sea behind her"

Excerpt: "What makes the novel sing is how Roffey fleshes out these mythical goings-on with pin-sharp detail from the real world, as Aycayia, hidden away in David’s bedroom, navigates the perils (and pleasures) of life on land. After her tail rots, she relearns to walk in an old pair of David’s green suede Adidas. Her nostrils bleed “all kind of molluscs and tiny crabs”. David worries that the smell and the noise of her wordless song might attract nosy neighbours, not least Priscilla, whose mean-spirited meddling injects a dose of malevolent comic energy into the action."