AMAZING

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The audiobook was read by Daveed Diggs and was a blessing on my ears.

The Deep is about a population of water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women who were thrown over by their slave masters. Their past is so traumatic that they nominate a Historian to hold all the memories at one time and the honor belongs to Yetu. Yetu has been historian for several Rememberings and the pain, trauma and wondrous events are destroying her. During the next Remembering, Yetu has decided she's had enough and flees her people and the memories she used to hold.

The journey Yetu goes on after leaving her people was amazing. She ends up surfacing and we see what has happened to humanity. Most of humanity is gone and climate disasters are likely to take the rest of the land world sooner rather than later.

There was something so haunting about this story that both terrified and thrilled me. Which is such a weird experience. Part of it was the world Solomon created and part of it was Yetu's journey and part is definitely thanks to Daveed Diggs's excellent narration.

This story discusses so many important topics: identity as an individual, identity as a people, history, the effects of remembering or not remembering that history, the effects of trauma (specifically generational trauma in this case) and so much more. I loved that we got to see a bit more about how The Deep and the song that inspired this novella were made. I won't be forgetting this novella for a long time.