The Deep by Nick Cutter

Horror novels, yay!

I feel like The Deep is a perfect example of how horror novels play on our actual real life fears. Like, sure there are monsters, but also there are REAL fears. And in this book, I feel like those fears set the stage for the awful things to come.

Because the story starts in a world where people are forgetting. No one knows why, but a disease is spreading that causes everyone to forget. Is this not the worst thing that could happen to us? Our memories form our identity! There seems to be a possible solution, but it's buried at the bottom of the ocean. And that's where our story starts--as a man descends to check on his brilliant scientist brother after it appears things have gone wrong.

But he seems to have the opposite problem as he descends as the problem plaguing the world. He starts to remember things and to retreat into those memories. And his memories are hard memories, deeply painful ones, things he'd rather forget.

When they get to the station at the bottom of the sea, a lot awaits them. Things are unraveling, and it's unclear who is in control--the scientists or the substance they've found? Will they be able to face their demons and save mankind?

This book is...well it's like a lot of horror books in that it builds really effectively. I was completely gripped by the story and turning the pages and feeling the dread and the oppression of the water the dread of being trapped with my worst memories. But...it's also a horror story in that the conclusion just can't quite pay it off.

Having said that, I still liked it so much and recommend it to fans of horror! Warning though: the book did actually make me cry in a small paragraph about euthanizing shelter animals and there is other animal abuse in the book. I think having spent the day in the horrific world of the book, I was perfectly primed to cry but it still surprised me!

Recommended for fans of horror. (some violence, language, and sexual explict scenes, though)

*I received a review copy from the publisher.