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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
No significant violence; some peril near the end
Language
Barely any
Period-authentic language; mild throughout
Sexual Content
A lot
Sexual relationships depicted frankly; Angelica's profession as a courtesan is central to the plot
Substance Use
Some
Opium dens and period alcohol use; vice is woven through the social world
Emotional Intensity
Some
Loneliness across class lines, the economics of women's bodies in 18th-century London, desire for something uncanny
What this book is about
Jonah Hancock is a respectable widowed merchant whose ship's captain has sold the vessel in exchange for a mermaid — a grotesque, extraordinary dead creature that becomes the talk of London's curiosity rooms. In the world of high-end courtesans, Angelica Neal is at the peak of her powers, and her path collides with Jonah's in ways neither expected. Imogen Hermes Gowar's debut is a lush, sensual novel about ambition, loneliness, and what people will give away to possess what they can't explain.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
frank sexual content in a courtesan's world
opium use as period element
18th-century gender and class constraints
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