Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

55 reviews

crispr_breadboard's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I didn’t hate it, but I typically prefer more depth and complexity to plots and characters. The allegorical symbolism didn’t go unnoticed (ie, understanding the complex emotions produced by generational trauma of the oppressed due to white supremacy). I enjoyed the portions that leaned into that message, but looking beyond that I felt the story lacked. Which made it feel simple- more like a grim fable than a novel. Probably intentional, but doesn’t mean I have to like it 😅

Truthfully, the afterword made me appreciate the novel more than actually reading it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Stalking, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Minor: Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, and Suicide attempt

kirstieanya's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

2.75

This novel has strong thematic ideas and a great general concept, but I found it really difficult to get into (despite its short length).

I couldn't put my finger on why until I read another review discussing the writing style. The writing is not varied regarding sentence structure, making it not particularly engaging.

As mentioned, the premise is incredibly strong, poignant, and thought-provoking. I just wish it were written in a slightly more engaging way. I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, I didn't.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

gandalf_a's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Slavery, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Eating disorder, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

culpeppper's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious sad

• 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

3.75

I already wrote out a review and it didn't save, so I'm gonna do a bullet point style thing here:

• The metaphors were immense, sometimes clever and sometimes a little too on the nose, but largely the use of weaving those metaphors into the story was done well and enhanced the reading experience. As an example, the descriptions in the underwater mimic the setting, relying on feelings and ideas to form the world before Yetu goes to the surface where descriptions change to more solid things rather than concepts. 
• The story has multiple perspectives. Though I do feel it worked thematically to have these other perspectives, and the stories they told enhanced our perspective, but it was always jarring and confusing in a way that took me a bit out of the story sometimes. 
• It's a work of creative wonder, filled with countless concepts, and it's inspired me to read more of Solomon's work so I can have a longer experience that I think will suit their style of writing better. 

Overall, there were some things it lacked that could have built out the world a bit more, and the pacing felt weird and off at times, I think that's partially the form and maybe some stylistic elements I don't fully understand. But I liked the experience of this world, of this look into our world, and the use of history and remembering as critical to it. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and War

rainbopagn's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a heavy hitter, with the MC being an allegory for generational trauma. The author intentionally makes you uncomfortable as you are not sure if you want the MC to return home or not. I think this is a must read for anyone who as the privilege of NOT knowing intergenerational or racial trauma.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Abandonment

lue_moon's review against another edition

5.0

Overall excellent. Better worldbuilding in a short amount of time than the first 150 pages of other fantasy books I have read. Though I wouldn't have minded existing in that world for longer, it's a complete story that makes a strong impact, including beautiful exploration of ancestral/generational/cultural trauma, memory keeping, and how that is processed/stored within bodies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death and Pregnancy

grace_b_3's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This a very meditative novella that touches on memory, history, and community. This definitely feels like a book that sits with you. While I wish that the world-building was a little bit more developed, I understand that that is not the point of this book. It says what it needs to say.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Slavery

kaymaxwell's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Genocide, Slavery, Blood, and Colonisation

bucketsjen's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad 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

4.5

The children of pregnant African women thrown overboard by slavers have adapted to the water and built their own society. They appoint one person every generation to be the Historian that holds all of their memories - but the current historian is struggling as the only person holding the awareness of pain and history. She returns the memories and flees, leaving her people to grapple with their history alone as she tries to find herself... but of course, their unprocessed pain effects everything.  

Has themes of cultural, generational, and personal trauma, the pain of being the only one who Knows and Understands, and processing/healing to move forward.  It's REALLY well done. While the subject matter is heavy, it's managed deftly and the book is surprisingly healing to read.

I really recommend the audiobook for this one. Daveed Diggs does an incredible job, and the work's musical history really lends it to auditory retelling.  There's an Afterward by Diggs which was an awesome addition to the story (he's funny and insightful).

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Animal death, Attempted suicide, Grief, Hallucinations, Slavery (past), Self-harm, Trauma (personal, generational, cultural), violence, references to familial death.

numerous_bees's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Slavery, Blood, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury