The Ocean is Full of Memories

 

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I view The Deep as a story designed to provide therapy for historical trauma.  The Middle Passage is the stretch of the Atlantic Ocean at the heart of the journey of ships participating in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade from Africa.  Atrocities beyond imagining occurred as millions of humans were stacked in holds of those ships with no light, little food and no care to be taken too European colonies as enslaved labor.  Many died from disease.  Often, they were thrown overboard alive when the slavers realized they would not recoup their investment.  Many drowned or were eaten by sharks. Some committed suicide to escape the horrors of being raped and abused or giving birth to children who had nothing to look forward to but the bleak future of being enslaved, and unbearable emotional trauma of being stolen from their homeland. I did some research, and almost two million people died as a consequence of the Middle Passage.  The level of trauma and horror about those events lies heavy on the minds of many whose ancestors almost assuredly were enslaved, and truthfully, it should be horrifying to every human being.  

The Deep reimagines the consequences of the Middle Passage. Instead of all of those people dying, some become different. The magic of the water changes them into beings who are at home in the deep.  This transformation occurs in the womb, affecting the unborn.  They establish colonies deep in the waters.  Specific members of their society are selected to revisit and retell the memories of their ancestors and to guide the people through their remembrance.  It is extremely taxing for the memory keeper. Yetu is the latest, and she finds her role nearly intolerable, bringing her to a difficult choice.  Should she continue to bear this impossible burden for the good of her people, or seek an escape for her own survival?

The Deep is an adaptation of an award-winning song by rap group Clipping called “We Are in the Future.”  The audiobook was nominated by actor/musical artist Daveed Diggs, who is a member of the group.  I enjoyed his narration.  He has a soothing voice that kept me listening. However, I can’t say I enjoyed this book.  It is a traumatic read, yet an important read.  Important history that needs to be remembered is highlighted in this book.  I appreciate the value of that.  Having said that, admittedly, this feel like a chore to read and I didn’t enjoy listening to this book very much.  I did like the romance between Yetu and a fisherwoman she meets, and I liked the ending and the meaning behind this story.  It’s a short read, and I would recommend it in the sense that again, it’s an important retelling of a true historical tragedy that imparts a sense of hope where only despair would live.  I would say that reading this as a mermaid story alone is not going to engender that sense of enjoyment for fans of the legendary creature. Instead, it’s focused on what could be based on what was lost. The mermaid folklore is used as a device to speculate on how the deliberate murder of enslaved peoples could have led to their evolution into a new kind of water dweller.  It also has some vital themes about community, self-sacrifice, self-love, and loving and valuing others.