The Deep largely tells Yetu’s story, and doesn’t spend too long developing the book’s other characters. When you do catch your breath, you’ll be amazed by the beautiful vastness of the text, much like the depths of the ocean in which the story is set. It takes you under so quickly that you might even feel like you’re drowning and gasping for air, trying to stay afloat, until you start to get a feel for the world, the characters, and the writing style.

The book wastes no time pulling you in with its unique, poetic language. The song, which shares a title with this book, was written to supplement the “We Are in the Future” episode of the This American Life podcast. All three members of the group have author credits on this novella helmed by Rivers Solomon. The Deep is based on a song by Clipping, the rap group consisting of William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes, and Daveed Diggs, who you’ve probably seen in either Hamilton, Black-ish or Blindspotting. As the “remembering” is drawing near, she must decide if the history and the needs of the wajinru are worth risking her own life to keep carrying. When we meet Yetu in The Deep, she has shouldered the heavy cross of her ancestors’s memories for most of her life. Every year, the historian must deliver the history to their people, allowing them to process the lessons and value of the memories before becoming blissfully unaware once more.

Since the history of the wajinru is too painful for them to bear, but the thought of forgetting is even more impossible, they appoint one member of their species to carry the memories for everyone.

The deep by rivers solomon