[English review] “The Scent of Mermaids” by Gisèle Pineau

It’s been almost a month since this novel came out, so the ban on talking about it is lifted, right? Anyway, I couldn't have brought it up sooner. Knowing that a review with heart emojis all over it would make me lose credibility, I gave myself a moment for my fangirlism to quiet down. My methodical mind having regained the upper hand, here I am again.

Today, I’d like to present you “The Scent of Mermaids” [t/n : Le Parfum des sirènes] by Gisèle Pineau.

Summary: Siréna Pérole, a young woman with a bewitching charm, is murdered at the age of 27 on July 14, 1980. Life resumes its course, but her family remains haunted by this ghost whose death has not been elucidated yet.

With a straightforward sometimes raw but always poetic style, this saga illustrates all the questions and discussions I’ve had since the opening of this blog: what are our (my) past and present representations of Guadeloupe and its inhabitants?

Guadeloupe from the past

I'm not talking about the 19th century or any time before that. I am talking about this contemporary Guadeloupe that lived through the World Wars, natural disasters that some witnesses of are still alive to talk about. This is the Guadeloupe of my grandparents, of my parents whom I know so little about that the Pérole family lets me discover. Their land bears the traces of the cultural, social, political and economic evolutions that transformed Guadeloupe throughout the 20th century. The hill where the Pérole family lives on bears the face of the heaven-like beauty of the island but also the mask of human misery, difficulties in land planning, the clashes between social classes... “The Scent of the Mermaids” is also the story of the rise to the middle class. The members of the Pérole family are ordinary people with traditional ambitions... Except for Siréna. Her life is told through the perception that others have of her. Her unconventional path for her condition continually arouses contradictory feelings. Feelings between fascination and jealousy. Between love and hatred. She is at the heart of complicated family relationships. The starting point of discord. Point of reconnection?

Guadeloupe from the present

You know that I don't like stories with multiple changes of point of view, but Gisèle Pineau succeeds in passing from one character to another by taking the time to explore each emotion. This is how a gallery of portraits of black Caribbean women in all their strength and fragility, in their humanity, gradually appears. Ida, the spinster cousin who guards secrets with a sharp mind, Léonne the resentful maternal older sister, Rénata the niece eager for love and gratitude, Mélody the self-centred youngest niece... From the outside, each of them plays the masquerade imposed by society. From the inside, we realize that they have no illusion and are constantly fighting to make themselves heard.

In “The Scent of Mermaids”, I was particularly sensitive to the theme of relationships between brothers and sisters. For the generation of the 70s and 80s, it's also a question of taking geographical distance into account. Many Guadeloupean families are broken up today because some members are settling abroad. The last arc of the novel is about the 3rd generation and the burden of distance but above all the opportunities to meet up again, to celebrate common roots.

Guadeloupe from the future

Well, TV channel Guadeloupe 1ère spoiled the end of the novel so I think I could do it too... Trust me, I want to, but I'll just say that Gisèle Pineau deals with the change in lifestyles, current issues which Guadeloupean society can no longer close its eyes on. Mental health, the relationship with elders, marriage, the couple concept ... In short, I'll stop or I'll really talk about the ending twist. So let's say that this novel hints at a world based on self-acceptance, on the acceptance of others, a world where everyone has their place.

Ô Sirena

Moving back and forth between the early 20th century and our 21st century, the “Scent of the Mermaids” unveils a Guadeloupe of multiple scents blending suffering, resentment, revenge, hope and love. In case it wasn't clear, I loved this novel which made me dig up in my memory one of the 1997 zouk hits... "Siréna" from Experience 7.

T/n: this article was first published on myinsaeng.com on September 23rd 2017. You can read it here.