Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Saga Press (New York, 2019). 1st edition, 1st printing. 176 pages. $19.99
Description
"The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society -- and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella inspired by the [...] song "The Deep" from Daveed Diggs's rap group clipping. Yetu holds the memories for her people -- water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners -- who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one -- the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu. Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities -- and discovers a world her people left behind long ago. Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past -- and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they'll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity -- and own who they really are. Inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping for the This American Life episode "We Are In The Future," The Deep is vividly original and uniquely affecting." --… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member rivkat
Short book about the mermaid-ish descendants of pregnant Africans thrown over slave ships to die; their babies magically were born breathing water, with gills and fins. Most of them don’t know their history or even have specific long-term memories; Yetu is the historian, who holds memories for
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them. But the immensity and the horrors of those memories are killing them. When Yetu abandons their post and meets humans, but leaves their people lost amidst the memories, they will have to decide what kind of person they are going to be—whether cycles of pain can be broken, or reinterpreted, or lived with and improved on. No one is perfect, but they are generally trying (even if that means imposing rules on how others should experience the world that end up doing harm, the way Yetu’s parent does). For me, it was too short to have the kind of impact that Solomon’s first book did. What I ended up focusing more on was the afterword attributed to the three non-Solomon authors, which explains that the book is based on a song that Diggs’ group did, which was itself based on the concept behind some instrumental music by another group; each has its own version of the tale, and Solomon’s isn’t taken in any direct way from the song. Nonetheless, and despite what the afterword says about shared stories and the importance of reinterpretation, the copyright page shows that the copyright is entirely in Diggs et al., not shared with Solomon (and if Solomon had just released this story on its own, there’s no way it would be an infringing derivative work of the song, although I respect the desire to share some credit). That sat badly with me. Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Yetu is a Historian, charged with holding all of the memories of her people. She lives in an underwater society formed from the children of enslaved mothers thrown from slave ships, who, never breathing air, learned to breathe underwater and developed gills and fins. The weight of these memories,
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Daveed Diggs, which was delightful. I highly recommend that as a way to experience this text, if audiobooks are your thing. The story itself is immersive and a little disconcerting; you're thrown right in and have to make sense of the world as it's revealed. I'll admit that there are some flashback-like portions where Yetu is experiencing memories of the past that were a little confusing to me, especially as I couldn't page back and forth to make sense of things. Still, I found this a, well, deep read, very poignant and thought-provoking. It's a quick read/listen, but I think it will stay with me for quite a while.
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of all of the painful things that have happened to her people from the Foremothers on, is driving Yetu almost crazy. When they hold the annual Remembering ritual, where Yetu releases the memories to the rest of her people for a brief time, she flees rather than taking the burden back. What will become of her, separated from her people and the memories -- and what will become of those she has abandoned?I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Daveed Diggs, which was delightful. I highly recommend that as a way to experience this text, if audiobooks are your thing. The story itself is immersive and a little disconcerting; you're thrown right in and have to make sense of the world as it's revealed. I'll admit that there are some flashback-like portions where Yetu is experiencing memories of the past that were a little confusing to me, especially as I couldn't page back and forth to make sense of things. Still, I found this a, well, deep read, very poignant and thought-provoking. It's a quick read/listen, but I think it will stay with me for quite a while.
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LibraryThing member electrascaife
Yetu is the Historian for the underwater tribe descended from African women thrown overboard from slave ships. She holds the collective memory for the entire tribe, for all of their history, so that the rest of her people need not suffer the trauma of remembering their violent past. But those
Strange but powerful. I love the neo-mythic feel to the story, and I think it’s an important read. It goes on my list of books that should be required reads for high school, and could spark come great conversations.
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memories are slowly killing Yetu, and she flees from that burden and her people. On her journey, she meets one of the two-legs and learns about the world above and what her tribe must do to survive.Strange but powerful. I love the neo-mythic feel to the story, and I think it’s an important read. It goes on my list of books that should be required reads for high school, and could spark come great conversations.
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LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
Pregnant women who were thrown overboard en route to becoming slaves instead birthed the wajinru, mermaids who have their own unique society and way of life. The Deep is both the story of the wajinru, and the story of Yetu, the Historian of the wajinru. Yetu is responsible for keeping the traumatic
I liked this novella. I liked reading about Yetu, I liked getting the backstory of the wajinru, I liked the two-legs Yetu meets, and and I like the ending. I almost wish it was longer - spoilers after this -I would have liked to have the perspective of the wajinru who stayed in the womb, but the stream-of-consciousness nature of the wajinru sans their historical memory combined with the presumably overwhelmed nature of their thoughts during that period would make it a difficult thing to write coherently. I also would have liked to find out more about the war between water and land than we did.
All in all, this is an effective novella. I recommend it. It's a good read. I really need to get around to listening to the song.
Thank you to Bookishfirst and the publisher for the ARC.
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story of the wajinru to herself most of the year, sharing it with her people only during a special ceremony. Yetu is losing the battle to keep herself sane and whole when dealing with the memories - but can she abandon her people to save herself?I liked this novella. I liked reading about Yetu, I liked getting the backstory of the wajinru, I liked the two-legs Yetu meets, and and I like the ending. I almost wish it was longer - spoilers after this -
All in all, this is an effective novella. I recommend it. It's a good read. I really need to get around to listening to the song.
Thank you to Bookishfirst and the publisher for the ARC.
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LibraryThing member jnhk
The Deep by Rivers Soloman and the members of the rap group Clipping is a deeply unique and thought provoking novella. What originally drew my interest to this book was the use of the term Afrofuturism.
Afrofuturism is defined as the reimagining of a future filled with arts, science and technology
Because of their tragic and painful past, one Historian holds on to the memories of the past for the whole society. This is Yetu the Historian’s story.
I enjoyed this book very much! It was a wonderful glimpse into a “new to me” genre.
Afrofuturism is defined as the reimagining of a future filled with arts, science and technology
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seen through a black lens. The Deep accomplishes this—and more—by weaving history throughout the story. Pregnant slaves traveling in ships across the ocean were thrown overboard. Eventually the children adapted to a life under water, growing fins and breathing water. An entirely new society evolved. Because of their tragic and painful past, one Historian holds on to the memories of the past for the whole society. This is Yetu the Historian’s story.
I enjoyed this book very much! It was a wonderful glimpse into a “new to me” genre.
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LibraryThing member ecataldi
I haven't read a great adult mermaid novel in.... forever. The story was unique, dark, and captivating; although the plot was quite slow at time. Inspired by the pregnant African slaves who were thrown overboard to die on their way to America for being "disruptive" cargo; the authors wondered what
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happened to their unborn babies who were already breathing underwater in their mother's womb? Inspired may not be the right word; but that horrible back story helped mold this book into what it is. Yetu, an underwater being tasked with storing the entire history of her people, is barely hanging on. The history of the wajinru is a violent and bloody one and it wants to claw it's way out of Yetu. The wajinru are descended from the pregnant slave woman, yet that traumatic history is too much for their people to process so the historian (Yetu) must house all that painful history and bear the burden for all. Yetu must find a way to live with those truths or pass them onto others without breaking tradition. Dark, slow at times, but unique and enchanting! Show Less
LibraryThing member Strider66
Pros: interesting mythology, sympathetic protagonist
Cons:
Yetu is the Historian of the wajinru, sea dwelling descendants of pregnant slave women cast overboard. The memories of the ancestors overwhelm and pain Yetu, so they conceive a plan to leave the memories behind.
The Afterward mentions that
The mythology of the story is strangely poetic as it takes something horrifying and turns it into something beautiful. And while the story is fairly short, there’s a lot to take in. There’s a real weight to it, a depth that makes the underwater world feel real and lived in.
The idea of a singular memory keeper reminded me of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, but I much preferred the ultimate solution the protagonist comes up with here for how to deal with memories as a population that wishes to forget the past while having it accessible, without having a singular member of the group subsumed by those memories. I appreciated that Yetu had anxiety and this caused the memories to weigh on them even more than on past historians.
It’s a sad, touching, and ultimately hopeful story that’s definitely worth the read.
Cons:
Yetu is the Historian of the wajinru, sea dwelling descendants of pregnant slave women cast overboard. The memories of the ancestors overwhelm and pain Yetu, so they conceive a plan to leave the memories behind.
The Afterward mentions that
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the idea behind the wajinru comes from the mythology written by the music group Drexciya (James Stinson and Gerald Donald). Another music group, Clipping (rapper Daveed Diggs and producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes) wrote the song “The Deep” (nominated for a Hugo award in 2018) based on that mythology. The narrative of Basha, one of the ancestors whose story is told in this novella, incorporates the war with the two-legs that “The Deep” speaks of. The mythology of the story is strangely poetic as it takes something horrifying and turns it into something beautiful. And while the story is fairly short, there’s a lot to take in. There’s a real weight to it, a depth that makes the underwater world feel real and lived in.
The idea of a singular memory keeper reminded me of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, but I much preferred the ultimate solution the protagonist comes up with here for how to deal with memories as a population that wishes to forget the past while having it accessible, without having a singular member of the group subsumed by those memories. I appreciated that Yetu had anxiety and this caused the memories to weigh on them even more than on past historians.
It’s a sad, touching, and ultimately hopeful story that’s definitely worth the read.
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LibraryThing member chrisblocker
I absolutely loved the concept of The Deep, essentially that there are descendants of pregnant African slaves who’d been thrown overboard during the oversea voyage. The descendants, born of water, raised by whales, continued to thrive in the ocean.
The concept was easily the best thing about The
This is a very short book, and I never felt as though the story or the characters were given sufficient space to be fleshed out, or to grow.
The concept was easily the best thing about The
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Deep. It's an idea I'd love to see explored in more depth. I also really liked the language in this book. The words Solomon uses echo the lull and tempest of the ocean.This is a very short book, and I never felt as though the story or the characters were given sufficient space to be fleshed out, or to grow.
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LibraryThing member lavaturtle
This story is an interesting meditation on identity, community, trauma, and history. I liked the characters and the ending.
LibraryThing member LisCarey
The wajinru are the descendants of pregant women thrown overboard from slave ships. The women drowned, but the babies survived--transformed into beings with gills and fins, able to breathe both in the air, and in the water. Mostly, tehey prefer to stick to the deeper waters.
They make certain other
The Historian for this generation is Yetu. She's been the Historian for twenty years, since she was fourteen, and she's hated it from the beginning. She's of a much more sensitive temperament than her immediate predecessor, and perhaps most previous Historians. She hates sharing all the pain of the wajinru history, and she is free of it for only a few days every year, during the Remembrance, when she transfers those memories to all the other wajinru. And this year, she has had enough, and flees while her people are completely absorbed in their history.
While Yetu struggles to learn to be herself, and, injured and washed up on land, is befriended and helped by a few "two-legs," the wajinru are struggling with the memories of their history for much longer than normal, and in their struggles, are generating a storm.
A very bad storm, one that will threaten many of the two-legs,
.
And Yetu is, despite the freedom of not carrying the History in her mind, is starting to miss her own people. Yet she doesn't want to die, as she had come to believe she would if not free from the History.
As she sees a terrible hurricane building, she's confronted with the terrible decision of whether to keep her freedom, or save her people and the two-legs.
It's an interesting world, and I really felt a lot of connection with Yetu, and the failure of everyone she cared about and who cared about her to understand why carrying the History was so hard for her. It's engrossing and satisfying.
Recommended.
I received this story as part of the Hugo Voters packet, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
They make certain other
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choices. Their history is painful, not just their origins but other episodes in it as well. To maintain peace and amity within their community, they intentionally forget their own history, even their own personal history beyond a few months. That history is absorbed by the Historian, the only one of their number who remembers everything, their entire history.The Historian for this generation is Yetu. She's been the Historian for twenty years, since she was fourteen, and she's hated it from the beginning. She's of a much more sensitive temperament than her immediate predecessor, and perhaps most previous Historians. She hates sharing all the pain of the wajinru history, and she is free of it for only a few days every year, during the Remembrance, when she transfers those memories to all the other wajinru. And this year, she has had enough, and flees while her people are completely absorbed in their history.
While Yetu struggles to learn to be herself, and, injured and washed up on land, is befriended and helped by a few "two-legs," the wajinru are struggling with the memories of their history for much longer than normal, and in their struggles, are generating a storm.
A very bad storm, one that will threaten many of the two-legs,
.
And Yetu is, despite the freedom of not carrying the History in her mind, is starting to miss her own people. Yet she doesn't want to die, as she had come to believe she would if not free from the History.
As she sees a terrible hurricane building, she's confronted with the terrible decision of whether to keep her freedom, or save her people and the two-legs.
It's an interesting world, and I really felt a lot of connection with Yetu, and the failure of everyone she cared about and who cared about her to understand why carrying the History was so hard for her. It's engrossing and satisfying.
Recommended.
I received this story as part of the Hugo Voters packet, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
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LibraryThing member jakecasella
Mermaid society descended from the Africans who were thrown overboard slave ships. It's a heck of a starting place for the novella, and Solomon uses it to basically have an extended meditation on remembering versus forgetting past trauma—which is more feasible, which is more doable, which is
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right? Handles some neuroatypical issues very deftly, which I didn't expect what with the mermaids. I think a weak point is that it has such a definite past—in the origin of its characters—but doesn't commit to a present setting, in time or place. Fantastic read nonetheless. Show Less
LibraryThing member fred_mouse
Told from the perspective of a young woman with PTSD because of her role within her society, this is at times a difficult book to read. But Yetu's remembering of the story of her people, and the way that she find a solution for herself are powerful interwoven stories. Fascinating reading.
LibraryThing member Iira
Interesting premise, but I could not get into the story. I felt as if trying to poke through the surface and failing time and again, but since the story was short I managed to the end. However, I was left with nothing to write home about. This is probably more because of me, not because of the
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story itself. Show Less
LibraryThing member renbedell
A fantasy novella about a mermaid society that gives all their memories to one person who carries them on while the rest of their society forgets. The story follows a girl who is carrying the memories and she can no longer deal with the pain. It is a beautifully written story that deals with PTSD,
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love, and community. Show Less
LibraryThing member TegarSault
Engaging and far reaching, the book really makes you feel the world they are in. The history/memory relationship is a beautiful, and effective way to provide details while also communicating the themes of the story. I only wish I could get more.
LibraryThing member Stevil2001
[S]he didn't mind the unknowing because it came with such calm, such a freedom from the pain.
This is a novella based on a Clipping. song; the song was (to quote myself) "about an underwater race made up of the children of pregnant African women thrown off slave ships." I expected the novella to be
This is a novella based on a Clipping. song; the song was (to quote myself) "about an underwater race made up of the children of pregnant African women thrown off slave ships." I expected the novella to be
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about the original founding of the underwater species; to my surprise, it was about one of their descendants, an historian who carries her civilization's traumatic memories so everyone else can be spared them. (Some of the founding is filled in in flashback, but it's not the focus.) I expected the novella to be a mediocre Tor.comesque thing; to my surprise, it was a really powerful meditation on the pain of history versus the bliss of ignorance, and the need to reach out and embrace the unfamiliar. I will have to look out for more by Rivers Solomon. Show Less
LibraryThing member Damiella
WOW!
(I think that says it all)
(I think that says it all)
LibraryThing member readingover50
This book has one of the most original concepts I have heard lately. A race of mermaids born from the deaths of pregnant African slaves tossed overboard in the middle of the ocean. That sounds fascinating!
Unfortunately, the execution of this book isn’t as awesome as it could be. The book follows
Thank goodness this was a novella. I don’t think I could have read much more. The world building is interesting but you need a good story to go along with it.
I received a free ARC from BookishFirst and the publisher.
Unfortunately, the execution of this book isn’t as awesome as it could be. The book follows
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the existential crisis of Yetu, the “historian” of the mermaids. There are many flashbacks which tell the history, but really there is no action. Almost everything takes place in Yetu’s mind. Should she abandon her historian duties or not. Thank goodness this was a novella. I don’t think I could have read much more. The world building is interesting but you need a good story to go along with it.
I received a free ARC from BookishFirst and the publisher.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
I received a galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
The very concept of this novella is incredible: that the babies of pregnant African women, fallen/dropped/thrown from slave ships during the Atlantic slave trade became children of the ocean--merfolk. It was originally a song
The result is a beautifully-written work, and a fast read at that. Yetu is the historian of her kind, and her task is onerous: she's supposed to continue living as herself, even as she channels the vivid, often horrific memories of those who came before her. She knows the full truth of why her kind exist. Yetu is especially sensitive to these memories and has barely lived as herself. Once a year, though, she channels these memories to all of her kin--and this time, during the ceremony, she makes a dire choice.
I found Yetu's story to be strong and she is easy to relate to. I didn't want to stop reading once I started. I ended up blazing through in a day! I was a bit lost at a few points, though, and at one point DNA is referenced, which seemed like a weird anachronism to slip through. The ending is a bit predictable, but thoroughly satisfying.
I enjoyed another work that Rivers Solomon collaborated in, the Serial Box novel called The Vella. They are definitely an author to watch.
The very concept of this novella is incredible: that the babies of pregnant African women, fallen/dropped/thrown from slave ships during the Atlantic slave trade became children of the ocean--merfolk. It was originally a song
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performed by the Clipping, a group that includes the original Thomas Jefferson from the musical Hamilton, Daveed Diggs. The musical group collaborated with Rivers Solomon to create a full, intricate story.The result is a beautifully-written work, and a fast read at that. Yetu is the historian of her kind, and her task is onerous: she's supposed to continue living as herself, even as she channels the vivid, often horrific memories of those who came before her. She knows the full truth of why her kind exist. Yetu is especially sensitive to these memories and has barely lived as herself. Once a year, though, she channels these memories to all of her kin--and this time, during the ceremony, she makes a dire choice.
I found Yetu's story to be strong and she is easy to relate to. I didn't want to stop reading once I started. I ended up blazing through in a day! I was a bit lost at a few points, though, and at one point DNA is referenced, which seemed like a weird anachronism to slip through. The ending is a bit predictable, but thoroughly satisfying.
I enjoyed another work that Rivers Solomon collaborated in, the Serial Box novel called The Vella. They are definitely an author to watch.
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LibraryThing member evano
The concept is so brilliant and beautiful and breathtaking the execution could never live up to it, no matter who wrote it. Still, the many co-creators fleshed out the music and the world and the words into more than a lyric: into a myth which will alter my view of the ocean forever.
LibraryThing member kcshankd
Not sure I followed everything that was going on here. Definitely a solid argument for the burden and duty to remember.
Sci fi/Alt reality that birthing mothers and the newly born tossed overboard from slave ships survived and created an aquatic species.
Sci fi/Alt reality that birthing mothers and the newly born tossed overboard from slave ships survived and created an aquatic species.
LibraryThing member sriddell
Interesting speculative fiction based on a song by the same title. The book imagines an underwater world populated by the descendants of African slaves thrown overboard during the Atlantic crossing. A reclaiming of a horrifying holocaust, turning mass genocide into triumph.
A very interesting and
A very interesting and
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thought provoking story. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone novella that I borrowed from the library.
Story (3/5): Yetu holds the memories for the Wajinru (a mermaid like people descended from African slave women who were thrown into the ocean to die). As the time approaches for Yetu to do the Remembering for the
This was okay. It’s kind of like a mermaid version of The Giver by Lois Lowry but shorter and less interesting. There are a lot of big ideas addressed in here: slavery, the idea of history, what makes a group of people a People, GLBT rights.. I just kind of felt like they were ideas that have been explored in other books in a much better way. I honestly had some trouble getting into the story and really never engaged with it all that well.
Characters (3/5): I found Yetu hard to engage with. She caused some major issues and really let her people down and she does this for a fairly selfish reason...however, her people seem to grow and benefit from her rather childish action in the end. All of the Wajinru come across as fairly childish because they hold no history and just live day to day. I didn’t engage with the characters and found them all to be fairly shallow and stereotypical.
Setting (3/5): The setting wasn’t really the main driver for the story. I enjoyed that the story takes place in the deep ocean, but the description of the surroundings here is pretty slim and I often forgot that the story was taking place in the deep. It’s important that this is where the Wajinru developed and thrived, but we don’t hear much about how they actually survive and thrive in this environment.
Writing Style (3/5): I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style and found it somewhat difficult to stay engaged with. The writing alternates between being poetic/flowery and somewhat stark. I found my mind struggling to stay focused and kept putting the book down to wander off and do other things. It was just kind of boring and explored ideas that are better explored in other more lengthy novels. I felt like this was almost an over commercialized, light version of a book trying to pack lots of meaningful ideas in a small space but without much impact.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay since it wasn’t a huge time commitment to read. However, I didn’t really enjoy it or find it thought-provoking or intriguing. I guess it was an okay mermaid origin story. However, the idea of a memory keeper was done much better in “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. I felt like this novella was trying to make a big impact by hitting a lot of hot button issues but mostly it kind of falls flat and ends up feeling like a light, surfacey glimpse into these issues (slavery, a people’s history, etc). I felt very “eh, whatever” about the whole thing.
Story (3/5): Yetu holds the memories for the Wajinru (a mermaid like people descended from African slave women who were thrown into the ocean to die). As the time approaches for Yetu to do the Remembering for the
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Wajinru (where she shares the memories with them before again holding them), Yetu fears she is losing herself to the memories and fears she is in too much pain from the memories to take them back into herself again. So she runs, leaving her people swamped in memories and experiences, to see some of the outside world for herself.This was okay. It’s kind of like a mermaid version of The Giver by Lois Lowry but shorter and less interesting. There are a lot of big ideas addressed in here: slavery, the idea of history, what makes a group of people a People, GLBT rights.. I just kind of felt like they were ideas that have been explored in other books in a much better way. I honestly had some trouble getting into the story and really never engaged with it all that well.
Characters (3/5): I found Yetu hard to engage with. She caused some major issues and really let her people down and she does this for a fairly selfish reason...however, her people seem to grow and benefit from her rather childish action in the end. All of the Wajinru come across as fairly childish because they hold no history and just live day to day. I didn’t engage with the characters and found them all to be fairly shallow and stereotypical.
Setting (3/5): The setting wasn’t really the main driver for the story. I enjoyed that the story takes place in the deep ocean, but the description of the surroundings here is pretty slim and I often forgot that the story was taking place in the deep. It’s important that this is where the Wajinru developed and thrived, but we don’t hear much about how they actually survive and thrive in this environment.
Writing Style (3/5): I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style and found it somewhat difficult to stay engaged with. The writing alternates between being poetic/flowery and somewhat stark. I found my mind struggling to stay focused and kept putting the book down to wander off and do other things. It was just kind of boring and explored ideas that are better explored in other more lengthy novels. I felt like this was almost an over commercialized, light version of a book trying to pack lots of meaningful ideas in a small space but without much impact.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay since it wasn’t a huge time commitment to read. However, I didn’t really enjoy it or find it thought-provoking or intriguing. I guess it was an okay mermaid origin story. However, the idea of a memory keeper was done much better in “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. I felt like this novella was trying to make a big impact by hitting a lot of hot button issues but mostly it kind of falls flat and ends up feeling like a light, surfacey glimpse into these issues (slavery, a people’s history, etc). I felt very “eh, whatever” about the whole thing.
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LibraryThing member BooksCatsEtc
Interesting idea, but the writing left me flat. Really wanted to like this one too.
LibraryThing member bookworm12
Imagine if all of the pregnant slaves thrown overboard during the horrific middle passage went on to have children that survived and built a society underwater. That's the premise of The Deep, a book inspired by a rap song by Daveed Diggs' group Clipping. The story reminds me a bit of The Giver,
“What is belonging?” we ask. She says, “Where loneliness ends.”
“The deep will be our sibling, our parent, our relief from endless solitude. Down here, we are wrapped up. Down here, we can pretend the dark is the black embrace of another.”
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with one individual in the society carrying the painful memories of their history. I read this after visiting the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and had all of that history fresh in my mind, which gave the story an even deeper impact.“What is belonging?” we ask. She says, “Where loneliness ends.”
“The deep will be our sibling, our parent, our relief from endless solitude. Down here, we are wrapped up. Down here, we can pretend the dark is the black embrace of another.”
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Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novella — 2020)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novella — 2019)
Lambda Literary Award (Finalist — 2020)
Audie Award (Finalist — Science Fiction — 2021)
Locus Award (Finalist — Novella — 2020)
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novella — 2020)
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novella — 2020)
Otherwise Award (Honor List — 2019)
Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize (Longlist — Fiction — 2020)
Ignyte Award (Shortlist — Novella — 2020)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Genre Fiction — 2019)
NPR: Books We Love (2019)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Fiction — 2019)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2019)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2019-11-05
Physical description
166 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
9781534439863