The story opens with Yetu, the wajinru's historian, so fragmented from holding her people's memories that she's having difficulty differentiating between the past and the present. She is positive that performing this essential role will be the death of her. Solomon deftly weaves commentary on how African Americans experience and struggle with intergenerational memory and trauma into this story of mermaids descended from enslaved Africans tossed off ships during the trans Atlantic slave trade. Solomon puts a lot of thought and detail into how deep ocean environments would affect mermaid physiology and communication. The writing and descriptions are poetic. Yetu's dilemma of saving herself and serving her community is relatable and compelling. A raw, beautiful, thought-provoking read.