The Deep by Alma Katsu

The Deep

by Alma Katsu


'Beautifully written, thoroughly absorbing and totally terrifying.'
said C. J. TUDOR, bestselling author of The Chalk Man

A spine-tingling novel that 'blends psychological thriller and eerie gothic ghost story to create something truly haunting' said SARAH PINBOROUGH, bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes

Someone - or something - is haunting the Titanic.

Deaths and disappearances have plagued the vast liner from the moment she began her maiden voyage on 10 April 1912. Four days later, caught in what feels like an eerie, unsettling twilight zone, some passengers - including millionaire Madeleine Astor and maid Annie Hebbley - are convinced that something sinister is afoot. And then disaster strikes.

Four years later and the world is at war. Having survived that fateful night, Annie is now a nurse on board the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, refitted as a hospital ship. And she is about to realise that those demons from her past and the terrors of that doomed voyage have not finished with her yet . . .

Bringing together Faustian pacts, the occult, tales of sirens and selkies, guilt and revenge, desire and destiny, The Deep offers a thrilling, tantalizing twist on one of the world's most famous tragedies.

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

4 of 5 stars

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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .

Ah, Titanic. The ship of dreams. Or nightmares, as it turns out. Well, I knew I was in for some historical, horrific goodness after reading the author's The Hunger last year and legit devouring it. One of the first notes I made on my Kindle this time was "I'm going to end up down a Titanic Wikipedia rabbit hole, I can feel it". And how true it was! I think my favorite part of Ms. Katsu's books is that she somehow seamlessly intertwines the real with the fantastical. Usually, I have some disbelief that I must suspend, but not here. Somehow, it seems almost like it was a true part of the Titanic story. Honestly, screw Rose and Jack, I'm here for the ghosts. 

This book weaves us through two timelines: That of the Titanic, and that of the Britannic. Both real, both ill-fated, and both containing two of the same women. One is Violet Jessup. She's legit, she was actually on both ships, and I'm not saying you'd want to jump ship if you saw her joining your Caribbean cruise but... actually, that's exactly what I'm saying. But for our purposes, the story mainly follows Annie Hebbley through both timelines. She's an interesting character, perhaps not a fully reliable narrator (which you'll see from the start, no spoilers here!), but the true thrill is seeing her interact with so many others. Some of them actual humans who were on the Titanic, some fictional, all wholly intriguing.

Because one thing that none of this motley cast of early twentieth century seafarers are is boring. Everyone had layers upon layers to their story, and no one was what (or who) they seemed at first glance. The question that penetrates both timelines is this: is there more to the happenings on these doomed ships than meets the eye?

Bottom Line: Get ready to go down an old-timey, character-driven exploration of these famed ill-fated ships, all while wondering if there's something paranormal, or just plain old bad luck.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 February, 2020: Finished reading
  • 19 February, 2020: Reviewed