A review by bennysbooks
The Deep by Rivers Solomon

challenging dark slow-paced

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

5.0

Wow. This book will stay with me forever. As other reviewers have pointed out, if you are looking for/expecting a tale about mermaids, you are bound to be disappointed. It is so much more than that - a very intense and visceral examination of intergenerational trauma, of oral history, of how much one person can hold, of individuality vs. collectivity, of the evil of white supremacy and colonialism, of revenge, of moving forward. The atmosphere is striking. The wajinru live in the deep ocean, and the storytelling mimics the feeling of the deep - it is heavy, unsettling, sometimes dizzying or shadowy, but also extremely beautiful.