The Mermaid by Christina Henry

The Mermaid

Christina Henry

Part fairy tale, part morality tale but a wholly enchanting story.- would you sacrifice everything for love? For a mermaid, that means even her identity. And when her lover dies, where does she belong? Is there more to her future than as a Barnum freak?

Extract
Her feet were bare, her hair unbound, and the dress she wore little better than a shift. She didn't glance at the audience, who'd broken out into excited whispers at her appearance, but she felt the sheer weight of their numbers pressing on her nonetheless.

It had never occurred to her before that eyes could be terrible things. Eyes that turned toward her, every one. Eyes that tried to pierce her, divine her, know her. Eyes that judged and, almost worse, eyes that hoped. Eyes that said they would wait and see before they decided. Eyes that wanted every bit of her, especially the secret longings of her secret heart.
Parallels
  • The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker
  • The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw
  • A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman
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Violence
Explicit sexual Content