I received this book for free from the publisher (egalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Deep by Alma Katsu Also by this author: The Hunger, Red Widow
Published by Penguin on March 10, 2020
Genres: Fiction, General, Historical, Horror, Thrillers
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher (egalley)
Goodreads
Among the passengers of the Titanic, something sinister lingers. Disappearances, mysterious deaths, and attempted suicide are on the minds of many as they sail through the quiet and desolate ocean. Annie Hebbley, a quiet and obedient stewardess, finds herself afflicted with strange compulsions toward the Fletcher's, one families she is assigned to assist. She finds herself questioning the stability of the mother, and drawn to their infant child and the father, Mark. Though they have never met prior to boarding the ship, she feels a connection that cannot be broken.
Alas, before the passengers are able to find the root of their uneasy feelings, tragedy strikes and the ship sinks.
Four years later, while Annie has survived the fate of the Titanic, she has spent the time since in an asylum, refusing to alert her family of her existence. She finds relief work as a nurse on the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, now a wartime hospital ship. When she learns that Mark, too, survived the sinking and is now a patient on board the Brittanic, something that has lain hidden over the last several years reawakens. What if the ghosts of her past, the very ones that led her to flee on the Titanic, are the very ones responsible for the terror that inflicted the passengers?
Leave it to Katsu to turn an already terrifying historical series of events to something even more sinister and horrific! I’ve long been obsessed with the events that led to the sinking of the Titanic, so when I learned of the premise of Katsu’s newest title, I knew I had to read it.
An insane amount of research went into the writing of this title. It’s obvious in the details (but also in Katsu’s social media streams, be sure to follow those if you don’t already); The Deep is based on Violet Jessop, an actual survivor of both the Titanic and the Brittanic. What I find is most remarkable about this title is that Katsu is able to put a completely unique (and horrifying) twist on a series of events that are such a big part of world history. Deep down, although I knew the fate of both ships, the sheer suspense and detail in Katsu’s writing kept me captivated, almost as if I was on-board the ships as well. The pacing creeps along like the mighty ships through the ocean waters, slow and steady, the destination simultaneously daunting and unknown.
I’ve intentionally left details out regarding the provenance of the evil that lurks on these sister ships; it is up to the reader to uncover these details on their own.
All in all, a completely compelling and chilling read! Highly recommended!
