Told through multiple voices, this is a story of human emotion, intertwined with indigenous myth and more recent, very real, history, where the arrival of mermaid Aycayia to the island of Black Conch is the catalyst for some monumental changes. For all the pain and loneliness of the book, I found it was the sense of connection and potential for positive change that Aycayia sets in motion that stayed with me. A sensual, hypnotic and riveting read.
The hill between Miss Rain’s house and the village was steep and winding. They inched along, David driving into the wind. No one spoke. They could just hear Aycayia singing, a sound like Africa, like the Andes, like old Creole hymnals, like shamanic icaros from a time when people healed themselves with simple herbal wisdom, when they understood all the kingdoms of the earth.
'My God,' whispered Miss Rain.
Life reached to hold her hand.
'It’s beautiful.'
