Monique Roffey

Four women spark a revolution on a Caribbean island – the electrifying new novel from the Costa-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch.‘Vital, enraging and brilliant. I loved it’ SARAH WINMAN‘Beautiful and important’ SAFIYA SINCLAIREarly one morning, at the close of St Colibri’s carnival, a young female steel-pan player is found dead beneath a cannonball tree. It is a discovery that will transform the lives of everyone on this small island.As the days pass, this shocking event draws together four women. There’s Sharleen, a journalist with an eye for the real story. Her childhood friend Tara, a pink-haired, straight-talking local activist. Gigi, the ‘notorious’ founder of the Port Isabella Sex Workers Collective. And Daisy, first lady of St Colibri, who is haunted by a disappearance in her own family decades ago.In a community in which women’s voices are often silenced and violence against them is overlooked time after time, the group soon find themselves compelled to speak out – and to act. But even they could never have foreseen the consequences of their courage…‘Roffey’s world-building power is evident on every page’GUARDIAN‘Will keep you reading all hours... unforgettable’GLAMOUR‘Sensual, ferocious… If The White Lotus were a modern feminist thriller, this would be it’LALINE PAULL‘The spirit of carnival itself is in the writing… Electrifying’JASON ALLEN-PAISANT‘A vital novel… Fiery, funny’DIANA EVANSREADERS LOVE PASSIONTIDE‘This was fantastic… five stars’‘Exhilarating… it''s a blast, with sharp, smart humour’‘A powerful book… really moving’‘Filled with anger, unity and love’‘What an amazing book this is… This story will stay with me for a very long time’‘Moving and gripping’‘A must-read’‘I loved this book’

Az év legkülönlegesebb története. 1976. április, egy apró karibi falu Black Conch szigetén, az esős évszak kezdetén. Egy halász kapást várva dalolászik a csónakjában, csakhogy egy váratlan tengerlakót vonz magához: Aycayiát, egy féltékeny asszonyok által elátkozott gyönyörű sellőt, aki évszázadok ótaszeli a Karib-tenger habjait, de most elbűvöli a férfi, David és a dala. Ám elragadtatása a vesztét okozza. Amint újra hallja a férfi motorcsónakját, követni kezdi, azonban a sziget éves horgászversenyén amerikai turisták karmai közé kerül.Egy tragikus küzdelem után kihúzzák a tengerből, és kifeszítik a dokkban, akár egy trófeát. Megmentésére David siet, és szelíden elnyeri a sellő bizalmát, aki lassan, kínok között kezd visszaváltozni nővé. Ám az átalakulások nem minden esetben maradandók, a féltékenység pedig, akárcsak a szerelem, a hurrikán erejével és még annál is tartósabban képes lecsapni.

Escape to the ocean with the entrancing, unforgettable winner of the Costa Book of the Year - as read on BBC Radio 4. On a quiet day, near the Caribbean island of Black Conch, a mermaid raises her barnacled head from the flat grey sea. She is attracted by David, a fisherman waiting for a catch, singing to himself with his guitar. Aycayia the mermaid has been living in the vast ocean all alone for centuries. When Aycayia is caught and dragged ashore by American tourists, David rescues her with the aim of putting her back in the ocean. But it is soon clear that the mermaid is already transforming into a woman. This is the story of their love affair, of an island and of the great wide sea. 'Mesmerising' Maggie O'Farrell author of The Marriage Portrait 'A unique talent' Bernadine Evaristo author of Girl, Women, Other 'Not your standard mermaid' Margaret Atwood author of The Testaments VINTAGE EARTH is a series of books that reveals our ever-changing relationship with the environment. These are stories old and young, set in worlds real or imagined, that allow us to explore our connection to the natural world. Transformative, wild, surprising and essential, these novels take on the most urgent story of our times.

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