Historical fiction
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
Debut
We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Imogen Hermes Gowar, on your first book!
Quick take
A lowly merchant finds himself in possession of a surprisingly hideous mermaid in this romp through 18th-century London.
Good to know
Romance
400+ pages
Critically acclaimed
Ornate
Synopsis
One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah’s ship for what appears to be a mermaid.
As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlors, and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr. Hancock’s marvel. Its arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high society. At an opulent party, he makes the acquaintance of Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on … and a courtesan of great accomplishment. This chance meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course, a journey on which they will learn that priceless things come at the greatest cost …
What will be the cost of their ambitions? And will they be able to escape the destructive power mermaids are said to possess?
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The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
One
September 1785
Jonah Hancock’s counting-house is built wedge-shaped and coffered like a ship’s cabin, whitewashed walls and black skirting, beam pegged snugly to beam. The wind sings down Union Street, raindrops burst against the windowpane, and Mr Hancock leans forward on his elbows, cradling his brow in his hands. Rasping his fingers over his scalp, he discovers a crest of coarse hair the barber has missed, and idles over it with mild curiosity but no irritation. In private, Mr Hancock is not much concerned with his appearance; in society, he wears a wig.
He is a portly gentleman of forty-five, dressed in worsted and fustian and linen, honest familiar textures to match his threadbare scalp, the silverish fuzz of his jowls, the scuffed and stained skin of his fingertips. He is not a handsome man, nor ever was one (and as he perches on his stool his great belly and skinny legs give him the look of a rat up a post), but his meaty face is amiable, and his small eyes with their pale lashes are clear and trusting. He is a man well designed for his station in the world: a merchant son of a merchant’s son—a son of Deptford—whose place is not to express surprise or delight at the rare things that pass through his rough hands, but only to assess their worth, scratch down their names and numbers, and send them on to the bright and exuberant city across the river. The ships he sends out into the world—the Eagle, the Calliope, the Lorenzo—cross and re-cross the globe, but Jonah Hancock himself, the stillest of men, falls asleep each night in the room in which he first drew breath.
Why I love it
Brianna Goodman
BOTM Editorial Team
If your first thought upon seeing this book was a story starring a redheaded woman with a tail, let me clear the air: This is not one of those mermaid tales. The magical creature that haunts these pages is small, clawed, and, most importantly, dead. And yet, it is this small curiosity that brings together an unlikely cast of characters at the heart of this transporting novel set in 18th-century London: shady brothel keepers, corrupt politicians, and the lonely, humble merchant thrust into this unfamiliar world.
When a mermaid falls unexpectedly into Jonah Hancock’s hands, he decides to parade it about the country in exchange for fame and fortune. From intellectual coffeehouses to high-class brothels, Hancock and his unusual possession travel throughout London, seizing the notice of a host of remarkable characters, including Angelica Neal, a savvy coquette on the lookout for a way out of her unsavory profession.
If you’re looking for a luxurious and ambitious read to sink into for the fall, this book is for you. With the embellished writing of a Jane Austen-era classic, this rags-to-riches story is as well-crafted as it is entertaining. The historical details are expertly rendered, the characters are full of heart, and while the supernatural creature that kicks off this novel might be dead, this is one imaginative story that is full of life.
Member ratings (3,750)
Nicole B.
Denver, CO
Although I’m not quite sure ExAcTLy what happened at the end, and wasn’t crazy about the ending, I still loved this book. Kept me up reading late, didn’t want to stop reading it! It was mesmerizing!
Thora F.
Pensacola, FL
I have a hard time explaining what this book is about, but I find myself thinking of it often in the weeks since I finished. It’s worth reading just for the period setting — and the Victorian deserts!
Emily C.
TARPON SPRINGS, FL
Beautiful and atmospheric, I didn’t think I was going to love this book until the very end. It’s not a quick read, a book to immerse yourself in the time and place and the lives of women in the 18th c
Asia S.
Portland , OR
The first 100 pages were a bit slow for me. I wasn’t sure that I would love this book. It turned into something magical and beautiful. Some very unexpected and peculiar things occurred. Very original.
Jill S.
Salt Lake City, UT
The recurring theme of a woman trapped and how she finds her escape is elegantly rendered in both sweeping and subtle ways. It’s beautiful in its unexpectedness, like the mermaid found in its pages.