The Deep Book Review
GENRE: FANTASY | WRITTEN BY: RIVERS SOLOMON | RELEASED: 2019
Watch the Breakdown
Way down in the deep blue sea is where the Wajinru exist harmoniously. The Wajinru are the descendants of African slaves, who were thrown overboard by slave owners whilst pregnant. Whilst, the women died, their babies adapted and were born with fins.
Because of the Warinju’s traumatic past everything stretching back to the creation of their people, war, trauma and inbetween is forgotten by everyone expect for one. The book is focused on Yetu, a Warinju historian who has the sole role of holding all the ancestors memories.
On a yearly basis on rememberance day she is able to offload the memories throughout the community providing others with knowledge from the past. The issue is this knowledge is slowly killing Yetu, because as the years have progressed she has increasingly struggled to distinguish between her present and her ancestors memories. During this annual rememberance, Yetu flees her community for land, as the Warinju are synced up having received the memories she holds. With no memories or burden Yetu aims to discover the land for herself and comes into contact with the two legged people, one in particular she builds a bond with.
Whilst she’s discovering life above the sea, can her fellow Warinju cope with all the memories they’ve been exposed to?
Is that how you’re feeling yeah
You know what, I really did enjoy the book. I really liked how a random conversation that I could have on any given day became a bigger thought and equalled a whole book. I’ve been saying Yooo, how much do we really know about what lies in the sea. Barely anything! I mean I’m not saying there really are Warinju people, but I like how the story came about.
The plot itself is not complicated, and it’s super effective. I visually jumbled together The Little Mermaid, the mer people in Pirates of the Caribbean and Avatar, melanated them up and then I could see the Warinju.
The thoughts and reflection this narrative drew up was really significant. This fantasy book, really highlighted for me the importance of being connected with your ancestry. And the strengths of memory and history, regardless of them being flattering or not. Also trauma. I talk about trauma quite often and I really connected with how this book explored trauma, and ways that people deal with theirs. Very strong and impactful. Not everyone wants to read a self help or mental health book and this book was able to go into the topic beautifully.
I also picked up on the elements of even though Yetu being described as a “she” there being fluid elements. For example the discussion of the Warinju people having both sexual organs.
My only annoyance was the confusion when a few chapters weren’t led by Yetu. They seemed out of the place and weren’t immediately clear, with several character names being brought in without a clear storyline. I came to understand them as random ancestral memories or events but I don’t think they complimented the flow of the story.
“All of these things had made Yetu. It wasn’t at all pretty, but it was hers. It it was a choice between the History and emptiness, maybe Yetu wanted the History. She’d always complained that the rememberings erased her, that Yetu didn’t exist because the ancestors took up too much space inside her.”
Favourite Character
Yetu was my favourite character. And she was also the main character. I didn’t have a strong connection to Yetu, but I appreciated her vulnerability.
It Hit me When
When I transferred a fictional fantasy book into real life. It kind of smacked me in the face as I thought about the dilemma. There’s a common phrase ‘ignorance is bliss’ right, and for near enough a whole year, these people live without any rememberance but most importantly any burden of the past.
I questioned what I would prefer. To be happy, but effectively empty, or to feel pain, suffering, and joy and grow resilient because of those memories.
Length
163 Pages long. The book isn’t big at all! The ending was super cute and although I didn’t feel the book/novella was long enough I appreciated the continuous flow throughout the story.
Seasoning Level
CO2 | Salt | Pepper | Mixed Herbs | All Purpose Seasoning
YOUTUBE
I have a whole book discussion about The Deep on my Youtube. Click HERE to watch it
