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A review by saphiraas
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.5
4.5 stars!
I really enjoyed this fantasy, mermaid novella. It's a short book but it packs quite the intellectual and emotional punch! The premise is very dark but also incredibly intriguing and completely draws you in. We follow the memory keeper/Historian, Yetu, of the underwater mermaid civilization that are the descendants of drowned pregnant African slave women. This premise is crazy unique, but also somewhat plausible?? In a fantastical sense. I mean we start of in the womb "breathing" underwater . . . so this extrapolation that a child born underwater might evolve into some kind of mermaid creature.
I usually find stories that involve slavery, particularly the Atlantic slave trade, difficult to read. But Solomon handled the trauma that comes with story with a great deal of care. They don't shy away from the horrors of the past, but they also don't linger on it too long as to make the violence gratuitous.
This tale is an exploration of intergenerational trauma, the importance of sharing and passing down our ancestor's memories and history. The novel felt very atmospheric and conceptual. It most definitely creates a distinct otherworldly, underwater vibe. We follow these strange half-human, half-fish creatures, the Wajinru, attempt to reconcile their horrible past with the present. Yetu, our protagonist, is tasked with keeping the memories of all her ancestors and holding them inside her body and mind while her fellow Wajinru are able to live free from their painful past.
I felt so bad for Yetu, having to deal with her ancestor's traumatic memories all on her own. I completely understood why she swam away from her duty. It just felt so unfair to burden one mermaid with such intergenerational trauma. I'm so glad in the end they decided to all share their memories as one people.
I also appreciated the soft romance between Yetu and Uri. It was so sweet and tender and left me craving more from them. I'm a sucker for a human x non-human pairing. It was a really interesting dichotomy between these two. They were almost foils of each other?? Yetu was trying to deal with the pain of remembering the entire past of her ancestors and running away from her people. Uri was dealing with being the sole survivor of her people and not having any more past to hold onto since all her family was dead. I love how they found comfort in each other in the end. And omg the ending?!?!? When Uri started to breathe underwater?!? Ugh, so good! I wish this book was longer!
This story was at once heartbreaking, hopeful, and strikingly unique. One of the best, more complex "mermaid" tales I've ever read. I highly recommend this!
“What is belonging?” we ask. She says, “Where loneliness ends.”
“Forgetting was not the same as healing.”
“One can only go for so long without asking ‘who am I?’, ‘where do I come from?’, ‘what does all this mean?’, ‘what is being?’, ‘what came before me and what might come after?’. Without answers there is only a hole. A hole where a history should be that takes the shape of an endless longing. "
I really enjoyed this fantasy, mermaid novella. It's a short book but it packs quite the intellectual and emotional punch! The premise is very dark but also incredibly intriguing and completely draws you in. We follow the memory keeper/Historian, Yetu, of the underwater mermaid civilization that are the descendants of drowned pregnant African slave women. This premise is crazy unique, but also somewhat plausible?? In a fantastical sense. I mean we start of in the womb "breathing" underwater . . . so this extrapolation that a child born underwater might evolve into some kind of mermaid creature.
I usually find stories that involve slavery, particularly the Atlantic slave trade, difficult to read. But Solomon handled the trauma that comes with story with a great deal of care. They don't shy away from the horrors of the past, but they also don't linger on it too long as to make the violence gratuitous.
This tale is an exploration of intergenerational trauma, the importance of sharing and passing down our ancestor's memories and history. The novel felt very atmospheric and conceptual. It most definitely creates a distinct otherworldly, underwater vibe. We follow these strange half-human, half-fish creatures, the Wajinru, attempt to reconcile their horrible past with the present. Yetu, our protagonist, is tasked with keeping the memories of all her ancestors and holding them inside her body and mind while her fellow Wajinru are able to live free from their painful past.
I also appreciated the soft romance between Yetu and Uri. It was so sweet and tender and left me craving more from them. I'm a sucker for a human x non-human pairing. It was a really interesting dichotomy between these two. They were almost foils of each other?? Yetu was trying to deal with the pain of remembering the entire past of her ancestors and running away from her people. Uri was dealing with being the sole survivor of her people and not having any more past to hold onto since all her family was dead. I love how they found comfort in each other in the end. And omg the ending?!?!? When Uri started to breathe underwater?!? Ugh, so good! I wish this book was longer!
This story was at once heartbreaking, hopeful, and strikingly unique. One of the best, more complex "mermaid" tales I've ever read. I highly recommend this!
“What is belonging?” we ask. She says, “Where loneliness ends.”
“Forgetting was not the same as healing.”
“One can only go for so long without asking ‘who am I?’, ‘where do I come from?’, ‘what does all this mean?’, ‘what is being?’, ‘what came before me and what might come after?’. Without answers there is only a hole. A hole where a history should be that takes the shape of an endless longing. "