Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I kept wanting more of this book -- more of the lucid immersive world-building, more poetic description of life in the ocean, more exploration of character relationships and the broader underwater society, more about the historical connection to land dwellers, more plot about navigating these relationships and connections... On the surface it's a short simple novel that has much more potential than it is able to follow through on, which is a bit dissatisfying.
The real strength is how the story reverberates, reinterprets, relates to broader connections outside the novel itself -- the real world history and trauma it's based on, the song by clipping., the initial music concept by Drexciya. It's about collectively bearing both the burden and joy of ancestral history, about interpreting heritage together as a group, about the strength that comes from this group connection that is missing when by yourself.
The real strength is how the story reverberates, reinterprets, relates to broader connections outside the novel itself -- the real world history and trauma it's based on, the song by clipping., the initial music concept by Drexciya. It's about collectively bearing both the burden and joy of ancestral history, about interpreting heritage together as a group, about the strength that comes from this group connection that is missing when by yourself.
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
intriguing premise, but not sure this one’s for me
This novella is developed from the song The Deep by clipping., which paid homage to the group Drexciya who created the mythological civilization that the story takes place in. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Daveed Diggs, a member of clipping. (also actor and singer/songwriter!) and it was incredibly well done. The emotion and passion he put into the narration was next level and it was very full circle to know it was being read to me by someone who is so close to the story.
The content in The Deep is heavy and gut-wrenching, but it’s also beautiful and unique and utterly poetic. Set in an underwater world where the descendents of African slave women who were thrown overboard by slave owners dwell, the main character, Yetu, is tasked with sharing the memories of their collective past with everyone. The weight of the trauma and the responsibility of her job is too much, and Yetu breaks free to see what life is like elsewhere.
I was drawn in by the mermaids/underwater creature aspect of it all, and I haven’t read much that could fit into the afrofuturism umbrella, or anything by Rivers Solomon before this! I stayed for the incredible folklore, the unsettling and important depictions of generational grief and trauma, and the wonderfully singular concept as a whole. And it’s queer! Speculative, literary, afrofuturistic, queer fiction!!!
Upon doing a quick pronoun check and dive into Rivers Solomon, I found that they are non-binary and intersex and use fae/faer and they/them pronouns. They also just sound like an incredibly cool person in general and I can’t wait to read more. An excellent unintentional Pride Month read, thanks to my library for dropping this one on me at the perfect time! Read Black and queer books all year!
The content in The Deep is heavy and gut-wrenching, but it’s also beautiful and unique and utterly poetic. Set in an underwater world where the descendents of African slave women who were thrown overboard by slave owners dwell, the main character, Yetu, is tasked with sharing the memories of their collective past with everyone. The weight of the trauma and the responsibility of her job is too much, and Yetu breaks free to see what life is like elsewhere.
I was drawn in by the mermaids/underwater creature aspect of it all, and I haven’t read much that could fit into the afrofuturism umbrella, or anything by Rivers Solomon before this! I stayed for the incredible folklore, the unsettling and important depictions of generational grief and trauma, and the wonderfully singular concept as a whole. And it’s queer! Speculative, literary, afrofuturistic, queer fiction!!!
Upon doing a quick pronoun check and dive into Rivers Solomon, I found that they are non-binary and intersex and use fae/faer and they/them pronouns. They also just sound like an incredibly cool person in general and I can’t wait to read more. An excellent unintentional Pride Month read, thanks to my library for dropping this one on me at the perfect time! Read Black and queer books all year!
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
An intense read about deep-sea mermaids, recollections of historical trauma, and what it means to belong to a people and a culture. This book is so short but so dense, y'all, I haven't even fully unpacked all of the allegories and metaphors that were used in the text. Definitely a more experimental piece of work, and so... haunting. I'll be thinking about Yetu and the wajinru for a long time.
Novellas like this prove that short stories can be just as impactful as novels with hundred of pages.
Don’t get me wrong, I could definitely read a long book with this concept. But this is still a complete tale with twists and turns, a fully realised world and interesting characters.
My only gripe would be the ending feeling slightly rushed, but that can be easily overlooked.
Highly recommend, and I will without a doubt check out more by Rivers Solomon.
Don’t get me wrong, I could definitely read a long book with this concept. But this is still a complete tale with twists and turns, a fully realised world and interesting characters.
My only gripe would be the ending feeling slightly rushed, but that can be easily overlooked.
Highly recommend, and I will without a doubt check out more by Rivers Solomon.
challenging
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Came back after a few weeks of reading to review I remember the main idea of the book but complete forgot the ending. I liked the story and the deep dive into the aspect of generational trauma but the ending was not as satisfying as I expected. Maybe I’ll have to read it a second time.
Very beautiful prose. It's a lovely tribute to remembrance and history, grief and culture. A little reminiscent of The Giver. However, I couldn't fully connect with it. Definitel a solid book but missing a certain oomph for me.