Imogen Hermes Gowar

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock
- Imogen Hermes Gowar
'A cracking historical novel – with a twinge of the surreal – about passion and obsession' The Times

SHORLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018

One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock finds one of his captains waiting eagerly on his doorstep. He has sold Jonah’s ship for what appears to be a mermaid.

As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours 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, where he meets Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on... and a courtesan of great accomplishment. This meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course.

What will be the cost of their ambitions? And will they be able to escape the legendary destructive power a mermaid is said to possess?

Podcasts

Philippa Perry and Nihal Arthanayake on The Penguin Podcast

The author of the bestselling The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read joins Nihal Arthanayake on The Penguin Podcast.

Podcasts

The Penguin Podcast: Imogen Hermes Gowar with Katy Brand

Host Katy Brand has a chat with Imogen Hermes Gowar on her fantastic novel, The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock, shortlisted for Women's Prize for Fiction 2018.

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Blogs

8 audio readings you should listen to

When was the last time you were read a story or poem? To celebrate National Storytelling Week, we've put together a list of video readings from some of our favourite actors, poets and writers.

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Two Vintage titles shortlisted for the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction

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Recommendations

Mermaids, folksong and mythologies...

Alex Clark talks mermaids, folksong and mythology with two of our new Vintage voices; Imogen Hermes Gowar and Kerry Andrew..

Extracts

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock tells the story of how two unlikely people in 18th century London – the unforgettable courtesan Angelica Neal and the widowed merchant Mr Hancock – come together in extraordinary circumstances, prompted by the arrival of a mermaid to the city. Read on for an extract from Imogen Hermes Gowar's exciting debut.

Imogen Hermes Gowar studied Archaeology, Anthropology and Art History before going on to work in museums. She began to write fiction inspired by the artefacts she worked with, and in 2013 won the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Scholarship to study for an MA in Creative Writing at UEA. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock was a finalist in the MsLexia First Novel Competition, shortlisted for the inaugural Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers’ Award and the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2018, and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2018 and HWA Debut Crown 2018.

Imogen Hermes Gowar

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock