Born from murdered African women who were thrown from slave ships, the children have evolved into mermaids who find their past too traumatic to remember, and so leave their collective memories to The Historian holds their collective memory who is tasked with sharing the story once a year. This novella has stayed in my head since I finished it. Evocative, haunting, and beautiful. The writing was so detailed, it felt like an age-old myth while exploring very timely and important topics. Beyond the weight of history, the importance of ancestral knowledge, and the duty to community, The Deep also says a lot about gender, sexuality, and other identity without losing the gripping setting, lecturing, or disrupting the flowing pace.
Through the whole story, I felt like I was floating in the deep. Balancing the weight of knowing all of the trauma of your ancestors with the pain of that knowledge being lost was so moving. The characters were also well developed and understandable. A poetic and important book.
Through the whole story, I felt like I was floating in the deep. Balancing the weight of knowing all of the trauma of your ancestors with the pain of that knowledge being lost was so moving. The characters were also well developed and understandable. A poetic and important book.