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hollymangum's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
3.25
joreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
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
Content warning: chattel slavery, body horror, generational trauma, pregnancy, suicide
The wajinru are a deep-sea people who assign one of their own to be a historian, an individual whose role is to recount and keep all their memories, both hopeful and painful. Yetu shows her people the remembrance in the way she experiences it, not in song but in screams, which leads to her running away to heal her own doubts before recommitting to her role.
This novella makes effective of shifts in perspective. The shifts from third person as Yetu to a collective first as the wajinru immerses the reader in both the fantasy history and the theming of the work in a way that makes this an incredibly hard read. These twin perspectives allow the reader to understand the importance of the collective history while still honoring the desires of the individual. It also forces them to sit with the atrocities, unable to look away both from the hurt in the moment the trauma afterwards.
Yetu is a complex narrator, grappling with her people's past and her own future. The accessible "mermaid-type" story allows the reader to really sit with the themes and the trauma. There's a lot about personal responsibility and the beauty of sharing history as a group and as an individual. The section where Yetu washes up upon shore takes her out of her element in a way helps both her and the reader understand how personal hurts and needs for healing fit in with the greater context of her responsibilities to the wajinru.
Absolutely stunning and effective, and one to sit with despite its short length.
The wajinru are a deep-sea people who assign one of their own to be a historian, an individual whose role is to recount and keep all their memories, both hopeful and painful. Yetu shows her people the remembrance in the way she experiences it, not in song but in screams, which leads to her running away to heal her own doubts before recommitting to her role.
This novella makes effective of shifts in perspective. The shifts from third person as Yetu to a collective first as the wajinru immerses the reader in both the fantasy history and the theming of the work in a way that makes this an incredibly hard read. These twin perspectives allow the reader to understand the importance of the collective history while still honoring the desires of the individual. It also forces them to sit with the atrocities, unable to look away both from the hurt in the moment the trauma afterwards.
Yetu is a complex narrator, grappling with her people's past and her own future. The accessible "mermaid-type" story allows the reader to really sit with the themes and the trauma. There's a lot about personal responsibility and the beauty of sharing history as a group and as an individual. The section where Yetu washes up upon shore takes her out of her element in a way helps both her and the reader understand how personal hurts and needs for healing fit in with the greater context of her responsibilities to the wajinru.
Absolutely stunning and effective, and one to sit with despite its short length.
sagewildling's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely a good quick read. An interesting way of interpreting intergenerational trauma that those who are not BIPOC may not fully understand. The book was truly captivating.
jtheseawitch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
homanmuffin'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
4.75
adesinabrown'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
4.0
kimaiya222's review against another edition
3.75
“Our survival is the greatest honour to our ancestors than any tradition” this was a really interesting book. I loved the hook and the idea. It was mainly about what it means to honour the past and grow from it. Is it better to remember everything or forget and move on? Some interesting ideas and some sapphic mermaids!! Love it
quartzmaya's review against another edition
3.0
“Forgetting was not the same as healing.”
― Rivers Solomon, The Deep
Yetu carries all the memories for her people (an underwater civilization descended from the pregnant African slaves who had been thrown overboard by slave traders in the past). However, the burden of carrying this multitude of lives is too burdensome and has begun to take a serious toll on her mental health. She abruptly abandons her duty and flees to the surface, where her experiences make her begin to see her people and herself and their history in a new light.
This was a really interesting concept and I liked that it was a pretty fresh take on "humans, but underwater". Some of the lore created to explain the setting was confusing, but Yetu's experiences and thoughts were relatable while still conveying an appropriate sense of alien-ness. The romance aspect was jarring and felt like it came out of nowhere, which is a trope that always annoys me and really takes me out of the novel, and the ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying.
― Rivers Solomon, The Deep
Yetu carries all the memories for her people (an underwater civilization descended from the pregnant African slaves who had been thrown overboard by slave traders in the past). However, the burden of carrying this multitude of lives is too burdensome and has begun to take a serious toll on her mental health. She abruptly abandons her duty and flees to the surface, where her experiences make her begin to see her people and herself and their history in a new light.
This was a really interesting concept and I liked that it was a pretty fresh take on "humans, but underwater". Some of the lore created to explain the setting was confusing, but Yetu's experiences and thoughts were relatable while still conveying an appropriate sense of alien-ness. The romance aspect was jarring and felt like it came out of nowhere, which is a trope that always annoys me and really takes me out of the novel, and the ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying.
smtvash's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
A very interesting exercise in concept and storytelling with an amazing story at its center about culture, history, pain, community, and survival.
Though I feel this concept has so much potential and filled with possibility, The Deep is still a satisfying, thought-provoking tale.
Though I feel this concept has so much potential and filled with possibility, The Deep is still a satisfying, thought-provoking tale.