Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

94 reviews

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Animal death, and Confinement

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

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.  

---

Content Warnings

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

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

queenkath32's review against another edition

emotional reflective

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racism, and Death

adearajean's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

3.5

A quick read/listen. Parts felt underdeveloped. It focused on the atmosphere/history instead of plot and there were times I wanted more but worth a listen. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Slavery, Grief, and Death

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.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Genocide, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal death and Pregnancy

artemis7's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Grief, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Murder

sophia_ryann's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Slavery

Moderate: Colonisation and Grief

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

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).

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Grief

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

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

---

Content Warnings

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

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

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

sproutedpages's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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

Profound and heartbreaking. Discusses the importance of remembering and passing on a people’s history, and what it means to bear a significant, collective trauma— and more specifically, how that applies to the descendants of the victims of the Trans Atlantic slave trade. A genuinely important piece of modern mythology. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Slavery, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy