Stapleton Library, (718) 727-0427, 132 Canal St, Staten Island, NY 10304
Book Club – Stapleton Library
*There will be snacks*
Reading Materials: https://borrow.nypl.org/search/card?id=476ec35c-4e22-5e54-830f-f1a3f74985a4&entityType=FormatGroup
Stapleton Book Club
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 5 P.M.
The Mermaid of Black Conch
by Monique Roffey
"Sentence by sensuous sentence, Roffey builds a verdant, complicated world that is a pleasure to live inside.... You might start to believe in the existence of mermaids.” —The New York Times
In 1976, David is fishing off the island of Black Conch when he comes upon a creature he doesn’t expect: a mermaid by the name of Aycayia. Once a beautiful young woman, she was cursed by jealous wives to live in this form for the rest of her days. But when her life is suddenly in danger, David must rescue Aycayia, win her trust, and work to break the curse while they both adjust to the joys and dangers of life on shore.
Considered a “phantasmagorical fairy tale” by Publishers Weekly, this “searing blend of Caribbean magical realism and contemporary examination of misogyny and the reverberations of colonial oppression” (Star Tribune) is both delighting and thought-provoking.
