The Deep - Possession, Insanity, Dead Spirits, Occult, and the Sinking of Two Majestic Ships
Alma Katsu’s newest book, The Deep, is a historical fiction retelling of two of the 20th Century’s most famous sinkings- the Titanic and her sister ship The Britannic. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I opened this book. Unavoidably and unfairly, I was probably expecting something like a darker, moodier James Cameron treatment. What I got was much better. Ms. Katsu treats us to 432 pages filled with nuanced class conflict, women trapped by the rules of Edwardian society, possession, insanity, longing dead spirits, ancient pagan deities, the occult, and of course the sinking of two of the most majestic ships to ever leave port.
The novel starts in 1916. Our main protagonist, Annie Hebbley, is newly released from an insane asylum. We learn that she had served as a steward on the RMS Titanic. While she survived the famous disaster, she has very little memory of the events surrounding the sinking or how she survived. Annie, now fit to rejoin society, has been contracted to work as a war nurse on the HMHS Britannic. While originally designed for luxurious travel, Britannic has been converted to a hospital ship to aid the British war effort.
As the story progresses, Annie begins to remember more and more about what happened while serving as a cabin maid on Titanic. The novel takes us back to Annie’s time on the doomed voyage and a series of odd events which escalate out of hand in tandem to the event leading up to the sinking and well known to Titanic enthusiasts.
The core plot of the novel revolves around Annie and a man named Mark Fletcher. Fletcher and his family are assigned to Annie while on Titanic. From the very beginning, we know that something big has happened between the two of them, but it is not clear what. Fletcher also survived the sinking, but lost his wife and baby daughter. In 1916, while serving as a nurse on Britannic, Annie once again encounters Fletcher, now a wounded officer. Expecting a heartfelt reunion, she is surprised when he reacts to her in utter horror. The remainder of the book bounces back and forth between 1912 and 1916, building towards a double crescendo at the sinking of both. (Oops 100+ year spoiler alert: both Titanic and Britannic sink.)
I picked it up expecting a horror story. It definitely isn’t. I would classify it as more of a Gothic mystery. All the same, I think fans of dark, creepy tales will still find plenty to enjoy in this book, especially as it slowly pulls you towards its weird and spooky end.
The features of this book that stand out most for me are the characters and the quality of the writing. The book is beautifully written, well paced, and structured in such a way that experienced mystery readers won’t see the ending coming from too far off. The characters are fully multi-dimensional personalities. They have life and depth. They breathe. Furthermore, Katsu dispenses with the usual stock characters that make up Edward era British mysteries. They are a bizarre and motley bunch- occult dilettantes, queer boxers, patients on a hospital ship, etc.
One of my favorite genres, other than horror, is historical fiction. History nerds can easily discern which writers have done their homework and which have not. Katsu clearly put a lot of work into researching the Titanic and Britannic ships. The novel brims with small details which make the setting come alive. Best of all, Katsu manages to do this without getting lost in detailed (and, let’s face it, boring) descriptions. The ships are conjured up in their full majesties, without ever needing 50-100 pages of padding to do it.
The only part of The Deep that left me a little unsatisfied was the way Ms. Katsu wraps up the loose ends. She does a great job making sure nothing is left dangling. (That’s a first class pet peeve of mine.) However, I kept getting the impression the author couldn’t ultimately make up her mind if she was telling a supernatural story. The wrap-up seems ultimately a little unfocused and accidentally ambiguous. I’m still not entirely sure if I thought it was a good fit for the novel. Whether or not it’s the best ending, getting there was enjoyable. Also, I am acutely aware that just because I wasn’t sold on the ending doesn’t mean others won't find it brilliant.
Alma Katsu’s The Deep is an excellent creep fest filled with dark ambiance and better than average historical writing. Readers who enjoy Gothic tales, mysteries, dark romance, or slow burn horror films will enjoy this novel. Also, it probably goes without saying, readers who find the great early twentieth century White Star ships majestic and romantic will eat this novel up. Enjoy!
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