Kirjahaku

A beautifully written, unforgettable novel of a troubled marriage, set against the lush landscape and political turmoil of Trinidad--by the award-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch and Passiontide Monique Roffey's Orange Prize-shortlisted novel is a gripping portrait of postcolonialism that stands among great works by Caribbean writers like Jamaica Kincaid and Andrea Levy. When George and Sabine Harwood arrive in Trinidad from England, George is immediately seduced by the beguiling island, while Sabine feels isolated, heat-fatigued, and ill-at-ease. As they adapt to new circumstances, their marriage endures for better or worse, despite growing political unrest and racial tensions that affect their daily lives. But when George finds a cache of letters that Sabine has hidden from him, the discovery sets off a devastating series of consequences as other secrets begin to emerge.

By the author of The Mermaid of Black Conch and Passiontide, a mesmerizing tale of a father and daughter's sailing adventure from Trinidad to the Galapagos Islands, winner of the 2013 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and finalist for the 2014 Orion Book Award Monique Roffey, vibrant new voice in Caribbean fiction and author of the Costa Book of Year Award-winning The Mermaid of Black Conch and Orange Prize finalist The White Woman on the Green Bicycle, returns with Archipelago, a new novel that is a journey of redemption, healing, and hope in the wake of devastating loss. When a flood destroys Gavin Weald's home in Trinidad and rips his family apart, life as he knows it will never be the same. A year later he returns to his house and tries to start over, but when the rainy season arrives, his daughter's nightmares about the torrents make life there unbearable. So father and daughter--and their dog--embark upon a voyage to make peace with the waters. Their journey takes them far from their Caribbean island home, as they sail through archipelagos, encounter the grandeur of the sea, and meet with the challenges and surprises of the natural world.

This enchanting tale of a cursed mythical creature and the lonely fisherman who falls in love with her is "a daring, mesmerizing novel...single-handedly bringing magic realism up-to-date" (Maggie O'Farrell, best-selling author of Hamnet). "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 TimesIn 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 after the mermaid is caught by American tourists, David rescues and hides her away in his home, finding that, once out of the water, she begins to transform back into a woman. Now David must work to win Aycayia's trust while she relearns what it is to be human, navigating not only her new body but also her relationship with others on the island--a difficult task after centuries of loneliness. As David and Aycayia grow to love each other, they juggle both the joys and the dangers of life on shore. But a lingering question remains: Will the former mermaid be able to escape her curse? Taking on many points of view, this mythical adventure tells the story of one woman's return to land, her healing, and her survival.

When a female musician is found murdered on a small tropical island, after a string of similar deaths, outraged local women take matters into their own hands. The quiet calm of Ash Wednesday morning. Carnival is over. Everyone on the small island of St. Colibri is sleeping peacefully. Everyone except Sora Tanaka, a young pan player lying under the cannonball tree. Sora, a professional musician, had been visiting St. Colibri to take part in the island's famous steel pan competition. But Sora isn't asleep; she's dead: brutally murdered, and still in her costume. And as the women of this island know all too well, Sora is far from the first woman to be killed, and she probably won't be the last, either. In fact, the problem of women being killed on the island is so bad, there's even a dedicated unit within the police department: OMWEN, the Office for Murdered Women, headed by Inspector Cuthbert Loveday. In this powerful new rewriting of the detective novel, Sora's death is the last straw and the beginning of something much larger, a "revolution" some are calling it. The event draws together four women who have never before seen each other as allies: a friend of the victim, the organizer of a sex workers' collective, a local activist, and the prime minister's wife. Tenderly, sometimes hilariously, Passiontide chronicles how these women join forces and find new ways to help one another.

Called enchanting by British Elle, this sensual debut novel of metamorphosis and discovery is from a young writer who is being hailed as one of Britain's most promising new talents.

A spellbinding novel which reveals the magic in the everyday from the Orange Prize shortlisted author of The White Woman on the Green Bicycle.

The magical new novel from the Orange Prize shortlisted author of The White Woman on the Green Bicycle will take you on a journey like no other...

Escape to the ocean this summer with the entrancing, unforgettable winner of the Costa Book of the Year - as read on BBC Radio 4. 'Mesmerising' MAGGIE O'FARRELL'A unique talent' BERNARDINE EVARISTONear the island of Black Conch, a fisherman sings to himself while waiting for a catch.

Four women spark a revolution on a Caribbean island – the exhilarating new novel from the Costa-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch.‘If The White Lotus were a modern feminist thriller, this would be it’ LALINE PAULL‘Brilliant. I loved it’ SARAH WINMANEarly 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 Caribbean island. As the days pass, the shocking event draws together new allies: Sharleen, Tara, Gigi and Daisy. In a community in which violence against women is overlooked time after time, the group find themselves compelled to speak out – and to act.But they could never have foreseen the consequences of their courage… READERS LOVE PASSIONTIDE‘Exhilarating… it’s a blast, with sharp, smart humour’‘What an amazing book this is… This story will stay with me for a very long time’‘A powerful book… really moving’‘Filled with anger, unity and love’‘This was fantastic… five stars’‘Moving and gripping’ ‘Roffey’s world-building power is evident on every page’ GUARDIAN‘A resounding testament to the rebellious spirit of Caribbean women’ SAFIYA SINCLAIR‘Will keep you reading all hours... unforgettable’ GLAMOUR‘A vital novel… Fiery, funny’ DIANA EVANS

Escape to the ocean with the entrancing, unforgettable winner of the Costa Book of the Year - as read on BBC Radio 4.* PRE-ORDER MONIQUE ROFFEY'S NEW NOVEL, PASSIONTIDE, NOW *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 TestamentsVINTAGE 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.

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 SINCLAIR Early 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…READERS 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’ ‘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 EVANS

Four women spark a revolution on a Caribbean island - the electrifying new novel from the Costa-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch.Early 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 . . .Fiercely alive, Passiontide is a novel of women daring to imagine a different world. It confirms Monique Roffey as one of our most spellbinding storytellers.PRAISE FOR MONIQUE ROFFEY:'Monique Roffey is a unique talent' Bernardine Evaristo'A daring, mesmerising novel' Maggie O'Farrell'Wonderful, immersive, evocative . . . A masterclass of world-building' Bridget Collins'Once I had started it, I couldn't stop . . . brilliant' Clare Chambers

'Monique Roffey is a unique talent and most daring and versatile of writers' - Bernardine EvaristoMarch 1976: St Constance, a tiny Caribbean village on the island of Black Conch. A fisherman sings to himself, waiting for a catch – but attracts a sea-dweller he doesn’t expect. A beautiful young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid has been swimming the Caribbean Sea for centuries. And she is entranced by the fisherman and and his song. But her fascination is her undoing. She hears his boat’s engine again, follows it, and finds herself at the mercy of American tourists. After a fearsome battle, she is pulled out of the sea and strung up on the dock as a trophy. The fisherman rescues her, and gently wins her trust – as she starts to transform into a woman.