Hi everyone! How are you all? Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am reviewing The Deep, a collaborative novella by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes.

The Deep was published in November 2019 by Hodder & Stoughton and is 192 pages long.

The Plot
The Deep follows the story of Yetu, the historian for her underwater community known as the Wajinru. The Wajinru are descendants of pregnant African women thrown overboard from slave ships who adapted to their new aquatic environment. Yetu carries the memories of her people’s painful past and struggles with the burden of preserving these memories for future generations. When she can no longer bear the weight of these memories, she must make a difficult decision that will change the course of her community’s history.

Characters
Yetu
Yetu is our protagonist and the designated historian of the Wajinru. She carries the burden of all her people’s memories within her own mind and struggles to find a balance between honouring their past and living in the present. Yetu’s journey is one of self-discovery as she grapples with her own identity while navigating the weight of the history she carries, and her internal conflict drives most of the narrative as she learns to embrace her past and future.

Amaba
Amaba is Yetu’s mother. The two have a strained relationship made worse by the fact that, as all Wajinru are, Amaba is forgetful and doesn’t recall all of the disagreements and bickering between herself and Yetu. On top of that, Amaba doesn’t quite understand the experience of the rememberings (a practice wherein all the Wajinru gather together to reabsorb their history temporarily so they can experience it), believing her daughter to exaggerate the effect they have on her.

Waj
Waj is the first the Wajinru ever see of the two-legs. She gives the Wajinru knowledge of language and gives them the name zoti aleyu, which, in her own language, means strange fish.

Suka
Suka is a two-leg Yetu meets when she runs away from the Wajinru she has left trapped in the rememberings. She is kind and looks after Yetu.

Oori
Oori is a two-leg woman who, when Yetu washes ashore, brings her fish to eat. She is standoffish at first, but eventually, she and Yetu become closer, with Oori helping Yetu see her family and her responsibilities as Historian in a different light and explaining how she now has no family or history herself. Throughout their time together, Oori and Yetu’s relationship deepens to one of more than just friendship.

Writing Style
The authors’ prose is masterful, blending lyrical beauty with stark imagery that captures the essence of Yetu’s underwater world. The novella paints a vivid and vibrant picture of the ocean’s depths; the descriptions are rich and inviting, especially those of the Wajinru, allowing readers to visualise every shimmering scale and flickering shadow. Yetu’s inner turmoil is equally well-rendered; her deep-seated fears and desires leap off the pages, giving readers a profound connection to her plight.

Solomon, Diggs, Hutson, and Snipes have created a rich tapestry of storytelling that allows readers to reflect on the intersections of history, memory, and the quest for self-identity. The novella serves as a poignant reminder of the scars left by human history and a celebration of resilience and the power of reclaiming one’s own narrative.

Final Thoughts
Overall, The Deep is not just a story about mermaids; it is a powerful commentary on the enduring impacts of trauma and the journey toward healing. Solomon and her collaborators have crafted a novella that resonates with both emotional depth and artistic brilliance, making it an essential addition to contemporary literature; this story is for lovers of mythology, history and fantasy alike.

I am giving The Deep a 9/10.

Have you read The Deep? What did you think?

Thank you, as ever, for stopping by to read my review. It means a lot.

Until next time,

George

© 2025 GLT

Categories: Book Reviews, Reading

Tags: book review, merfolk, mermaid, mermaids, ocean, review, sea