Reviews - The Deep | The StoryGraph

7.23k reviews for:

The Deep

Rivers Solomon

3.9 AVERAGE

jujuvansunshine's review

3.5

dark reflective 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

sweetpotathao's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

bookdragon2802's review

5.0

adventurous challenging 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

The Deep is an allegory for the weight of generational trauma and the importance of collective memory of the past. Covering the breadth and history of an unknown mermaid society from African slave mothers cruelly thrown overboard to a thriving underworld metropolis to a post-Apocalyptic future.

While it took me a moment to wrap my head around it absolutely blew my mind with its scope and stunning prose that flows seamlessly, weaving in and out of perspective, time, and setting perfectly. Very much giving ‘The Giver’ vibes with an Afrofuturistic flare.

Absolutely bingeable and I immediately bought a physical copy to reread in the future.

minna_s's review against another edition

2.0

2 stars for the concept. Zero for the execution. The concept played no role and was entirely irrelevant to the progression of the story. It could just as well have taken place on land and in fact 2/3rd of the book were set in a tidal pool.
On narration - it was all tell, no show. Plot was non-existent. It was mostly repetitive musings of the main character.
We were given an unnecessary and forced love story, which after 10 pages turned into ‚what do your genitalia look like‘ when there are so many other questions that could‘ve been tackled instead.
All the other elements, however thought-provoking, not only suffered from the above-mentioned repetition, but were presented with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer.
This is more a youtube video essay rather than an art house film. Their advantage being that they each know what they are and don‘t try to pass as the other.