Imogen Hermes Gowar

Merchant Jonah Hancock has been long awaiting his overdue trading ship when one evening there is a surprise knock on the door. Standing there is his captain, who informs him that he has sold Hancock's ship in exchange for...a mermaid. (A dead mermaid, to be fair, but a mermaid nonetheless.) Initially dismayed and horrified at the loss of capital, Hancock slowly begins to imagine the ways in which the acquisition of such a curiosity could well make his fortune.

This novel was quite different from what I was expecting — not necessarily in a negative way, and in fact it's possible that it gets extra kudos for keeping me guessing during its surprising turns. Hancock himself is not a particularly sympathetic character. He's kind of wishy-washy and unexceptional, qualities generally unexpected in a protagonist, which could be why it was noticeable. The story pivoted to a somewhat darker place about 80% through, though the added creepiness was not unwelcome. The book is well-written, and Gowar's writing is polished and engaging. It also has a gorgeous cover and endpapers, but more than anything what I was dying to see was what the "mermaids" actually looked like! My imagination was simply not enough.… (altro)

3.5*

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, Imogen Hermes Gowar’s assured debut novel, is set in Georgian London and its environs. Its plot centres around two protagonists and the worlds they inhabit –so distant despite being geographically close. On the one hand there is merchant and businessman Joshua Hancock, a rather dull widower who rarely strays away from his home and his office, despite the fact that his ships sail the seven seas. On the other hand there is young courtesan Angelica Neal, one of the finest ‘graduands’ of Mrs Chappell’s famous ‘nunnery’ and a favourite amongst high-class clients. The novel tells their story and how a mermaid will join their destinies. As the book progresses, we also realise that the worlds of merchant and courtesan might not be as different as may appear and unlikely parallels start to surface.

Let’s get some clarifications out of the way. This book is not primarily about mermaids, although it deals with more than one of them (both literally and figuratively). Moreover, although it does have a fantastical element to it, it is a “supernatural novel” only in a half-hearted way. In this regard, it reminded me somewhat of Eleanor Catton’s Booker-Prize-winning [b:The Luminaries|17333230|The Luminaries|Eleanor Catton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410524246s/17333230.jpg|24064531], which also relied on otherwordly elements in the plot without actually feeling like a work of “supernatural fiction”. To be fair, this is not the only quality which put me in mind of “The Luminaries” and there are a number of positive elements which “The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock” shares not just with that book, but also with other great works of historical fiction. In particular, I was struck by the effect of “total immersion” which the book gives the reader. The historical context is evidently well researched and conveyed in the greatest of detail. There are lengthy descriptions which brilliantly evoke the atmosphere of 18th Century London, with its sights, sounds and smells. The author also gets the hang of the style of novels of the epoch, such that both the narration and the dialogue feel convincing and authentic. The various secondary characters are also drawn in significant detail with their backstories deftly dovetailed into the main storyline.

Whilst appreciating the evident quality of the book I found it rather difficult to actually love the novel. At times I felt as if the main elements of the plot were not remarkable enough to justify the length of the book and some of the scenes (I’m thinking for instance of several paragraphs describing Mrs Chappell clumsy attempts at using a chamber-pot in a carriage) could have been excised without losing the thrust of the novel. Another issue I had was with some of the characters (including the protagonists) who seem to make decisions decidedly at odds with what the reader is led to expect from them.

That said, this looks set to be one of the remarkable debuts of the coming months, and deservedly so. I certainly look forward to more from this author.
… (altro)