The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
"Men are not fearful; they build one another to greatness. Women believe their only power is in tearing one another down."
There seems to be a lotta hype about this book. From day one of having started my Bookstagram page I've seen the fabulous cover of this book on the page of every Bookstagrammer I followed. But it was such a hefty book that I put it off and put it off and put it off. Finally this summer it seemed like the perfect read. HELLOOOO, Mermaids? Meant for summer. The synopsis is intriguing, it makes you think this is a story about the scam that was the Fiji Mermaid. But I was dead wrong. I was also pleasantly surprised to find REAL magic woven in between the lines of this novel. It did take me a little longer to get through as it was a slower paced story but I enjoyed it immensley. So sit tight, this might be a long one.
The story takes place in London in the late 1700's. A time where social class was everything and poverty was seen as the result of "laziness" and not a social condition. Johnah Hancock comes into possesion of a mumified mermaid, bringing wonder and fascination all across the docks of London and then further into high society. Becoming unexpectedly well-to-do propels Mr. Hancock into an entirely new world where he meets Angelica Neal, a "courtesan of accomplishment". Together they navigate the influence The Mermaid has had on their lives and the lives of all who have seen it.
The characters of this novel had so much depth and so many layers, so much character there to love and so much to hate. It took a while to warm up to Angelica because she is so selfish and childish. But given her upbringing it's no wonder there was no room there for her to emotionally mature. She was emotionally stunted the day Mrs. Chappell (a glorified pimp) took her in as a young child. The other girls under Mrs. Chappell are taught to be hateful and conceited, that they are better than everyone yet are constantly reminded that their only use is as entertainment for Mrs. Chappell's high-paying "freinds."
Because of the mean-spirited nature of most of the female characters in this novel, Johah seems weak-minded in comparison. It turns out his problem is his bleeding heart. It's a wonder he made it so far in life without being conned out of everything he was worth, but his legitimate caring nature is the perfect balm to Angelica's selfish nature. Their love wasn't some epic romance for the ages. But it was stable. Something they both needed in their lives. Their own contedness with life showed others how rich they truly were.
One thing you need to keep in mind when reading this novel is the setting in which it takes place. Racisim is rampant and prostitution is a common profession for young women with nowhere else to turn. Poverty is seen as direct outcome of laziness, hence, work houses to drive the laziness out of them. One character incapsulates every single one of these issues. She is a poor young black woman who find herself under Mrs. Chappell's rule because it's the best opportunity she could possibly be afforded. Her story was the most heartbreaking of the entire book because I'm sure many lived lives just like hers. Ignored because of her sex, looked down on because of her station, and spat on because of her race. Some of the scenes are problematic to read but expect nothing less going into this novel. Imogen Hermes Gowar definitley tried to create an accurate setting for this book and she succeded.
There is so much else to talk about in this book: mob mentality, right and wrong, rights and freedoms, happiness and grief. But I guess you'll just have to read it to see for yourself. I would read this book again and I definitely recommend especially if you are a fan of Dickens, this book is so similar it almost felt like reading one of his novels.
I'm giving it 3 stars because it was a bit slow going and there were a few things about the dialogue I didn't really love (some of it felt insincere in comparison to the internal thoughts of the characters) but it was still a very good story.
