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jinmichae's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listening to how this book came together helps it make more sense. Unfortunately, that explanation came at the end of the audiobook, so I didn't know what to expect coming into it.
I enjoyed the concept most of all, and the vignette of how they came together as a people. Unfortunately, I just didn't like the main character very much. She has reasons for being the way she is, but something about the way she was characterized made her not as sympathetic as she needed to be to explain her actions.
I also feel the overarching plot gets lost in vignettes which are more worldbuilding than progressing the narrative. I wish it was more focused on that main plot: I think it would be a better read as a short story instead of a novella. It also has a "woe is me" component that gets tiring.
I did appreciate that the main character is implied to have autism/gets overstimulated easily in a way that prevents her from doing her very important job. The depths of this discomfort isn't acknowledged by those around her though, which seems odd to me: she has family and friends who love her, and despite the plot important lack of long term memory, they *do* remember her sensitivities. I think that detail would have to be changed to make the way they treat her, and the way she reacts, make more sense.
I enjoyed the concept most of all, and the vignette of how they came together as a people. Unfortunately, I just didn't like the main character very much. She has reasons for being the way she is, but something about the way she was characterized made her not as sympathetic as she needed to be to explain her actions.
I also feel the overarching plot gets lost in vignettes which are more worldbuilding than progressing the narrative. I wish it was more focused on that main plot: I think it would be a better read as a short story instead of a novella. It also has a "woe is me" component that gets tiring.
I did appreciate that the main character is implied to have autism/gets overstimulated easily in a way that prevents her from doing her very important job. The depths of this discomfort isn't acknowledged by those around her though, which seems odd to me: she has family and friends who love her, and despite the plot important lack of long term memory, they *do* remember her sensitivities. I think that detail would have to be changed to make the way they treat her, and the way she reacts, make more sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
smuttymcbookface's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a beautiful story of how to best handle a horrific and tragic past for a set of beings, the Wajinru.
The first Historian, in an attempt to save her people from knowing the truth of their births, kept the knowledge to themselves until nearing death, when they passed it on to the next Historian. Capable of taking the traumatic events from other Wajinru's, even when dead, the Historian's job within the community evolved into holding all harsh memories, and storing the collective pains of their people. The exception to this being the Rememberance, where the Historian shares the history with everyone for a few days, before reabsorbing them, allowing their people to understand the importance of their knowledge, but not requiring them to know the specifics once the ceremony is completed.
This story mostly follows Yetu, the latest Historian, as she struggles to live whilst carrying her people's traumas. Knowing that she'll likely die if she reabsorbs them at the end of the Rememberance, she flees to land, where she meets Oori. A relationship slowly forms where Yetu learns that Oori has lost all of her own people's history when everyone but her was wiped out from an illness. This leaves Yetu wondering if her people were then correct to sacrifice one Wajinru's life and identity, the Historian, so that the remaining Wajinru can live unburdened.
This is a beautiful story with very little plot; mostly exploring feelings of belonging and self-identity. It was both beautiful and difficult to read, and despite being a novella, perfectly built this world where the ocean returned life where humans destroyed it. It was also refreshing to read of love and identity being unquestioned and just a way of existing.
The first Historian, in an attempt to save her people from knowing the truth of their births, kept the knowledge to themselves until nearing death, when they passed it on to the next Historian. Capable of taking the traumatic events from other Wajinru's, even when dead, the Historian's job within the community evolved into holding all harsh memories, and storing the collective pains of their people. The exception to this being the Rememberance, where the Historian shares the history with everyone for a few days, before reabsorbing them, allowing their people to understand the importance of their knowledge, but not requiring them to know the specifics once the ceremony is completed.
This story mostly follows Yetu, the latest Historian, as she struggles to live whilst carrying her people's traumas. Knowing that she'll likely die if she reabsorbs them at the end of the Rememberance, she flees to land, where she meets Oori. A relationship slowly forms where Yetu learns that Oori has lost all of her own people's history when everyone but her was wiped out from an illness. This leaves Yetu wondering if her people were then correct to sacrifice one Wajinru's life and identity, the Historian, so that the remaining Wajinru can live unburdened.
This is a beautiful story with very little plot; mostly exploring feelings of belonging and self-identity. It was both beautiful and difficult to read, and despite being a novella, perfectly built this world where the ocean returned life where humans destroyed it. It was also refreshing to read of love and identity being unquestioned and just a way of existing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Slavery and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content
obscurepages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
STOP. THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE ðŸ˜
Intersex merfolk who are descendants of pregnant African slaves women? A clever and compelling story about individuality and community, and history's significance towards the people in the present? A story that highlights intergenerational trauma and its impact? A story that highlights the need to discover personal identity while still wanting to connect with your people's history? This book is ALL of these, and it's also so much more.
Brilliantly written, this book is steeped with folklore and world-building and introspective themes. The perspectives, which can switch from the MC to an ancestor, highlight amazing storytelling from the author.
Overall, this was poignant and it was powerful. Definitely one of my top reads for the year. 🥹
Intersex merfolk who are descendants of pregnant African slaves women? A clever and compelling story about individuality and community, and history's significance towards the people in the present? A story that highlights intergenerational trauma and its impact? A story that highlights the need to discover personal identity while still wanting to connect with your people's history? This book is ALL of these, and it's also so much more.
Brilliantly written, this book is steeped with folklore and world-building and introspective themes. The perspectives, which can switch from the MC to an ancestor, highlight amazing storytelling from the author.
Overall, this was poignant and it was powerful. Definitely one of my top reads for the year. 🥹
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness, Slavery, and Grief
alicelalicon's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
kanthereader's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Self harm, Slavery, Blood, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide attempt and War
building_a_bookdom's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Eating disorder and Fire/Fire injury
maeverose's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t have the words to properly review this but this book is beautiful and everyone should read it (though check content warnings first, there are some heavy themes in it).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Gore, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
Death in childbirth, baby is born after mother diedchalkletters's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Many years ago, after Twilight and Blood and Chocolate ushered YA paranormal romance through its vampire and werewolf phases, somebody in publishing promised me that mermaids would be next. As far as I’m aware, mermaids never hit those heights, but I was very excited to read The Deep, eve thoughts the focus of the novel was on more serious matters than romance.
The Deep’s creatures call themselves wajinru, rather than mermaids, and their origin is the pregnant slaves thrown overboard during the crossings of transatlantic slave ships. They are their own kind of fantasy creature, with their own history, culture and traditions, rather than drawing from existing mermaid folklore. Their struggle to deal with the traumatic memories of their species is obviously a metaphor for handling intergenerational trauma, and different characters deal with it in very different ways: by getting angry, by divorcing themselves from the history, by trying to protect others.
Fittingly, the narrative isn’t strictly linear. While Rivers Solomon writes mostly from Yetu’s perspective, her role as historian means the reader also experiences other lives. Zoti’s memories of the discovery and foundation of wajinru society, and their first encounter with humans, are particularly compelling. Yetu’s conversations with Oori, another human, were similarly well executed.
As is often the case with novellas, the story feels a little unbalanced. Yetu spends a lot of time thinking about the problem of the memories, which is all perfectly paced, and then the solution and ending all turn on a dime without really being given room to breathe. That said, it’s obvious from much earlier what the solution is likely to be, so it doesn’t feel out of place. While it would have been nice for Yetu to be able to brainstorm solutions, it’s thematically appropriate that she had to come to an answer on her own.
The Deep is a painful, hopeful book saying interesting things about truly important topics, and I would definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide, Blood, Pregnancy, and War
kurumipanda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Slavery, and Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Colonisation