Deeper Water

I've just finished reading Deeper Water and what a compelling story it has been! This book is beautiful! Lush imagery and glimpses of a life so far removed from the way most of us live make for a gentle but moving story. It is almost inconceivable to me that people could still live the sort of life that Mema and her family live, yet I'm sure they do. I felt like I had taken a step into this quieter, gentler world for a while and I felt privileged to catch a glimpse. This book is very much recommended!

Jessie Cole's Deeper Water is the story of Mema, a young woman who has lived most of her life in remote Australian hinterland. This is a simple, albeit isolated life, social contact limited to her family and a few others, just as isolated as Mema is herself, if not more so. Mema is content with this life, happy to remain within her own little bubble. However, her rescue of a strange man, trapped in a flooding creek, becomes a catalyst for change and growth.

This is a truly awesome novel, which had me hooked from the opening line:

"They say every hero has to leave home, but what those first steps are like I'm yet to know."

Like Mema's world, the novel Jessie Cole has crafted is undeniably beautiful and haunting. The prose is deft and light (but never light-weight), allowing this sense of calmness and quietness to permeate, but it maintains a sense of rawness and perfectly captures Mema's confusion and growth throughout the story. Imagine a lake. The surface is calm, barely a ripple, but underneath, the water is teaming with life and movement. That's Jessie Cole's writing.

Cole's characters are rich and detailed. No one – at least no one present in the narrative – is painted wholly good or wholly bad, with their flaws and good traits allowed to shine. For example, Hamish – the stranger than Mema rescues – is allowed to be seen as both incredibly and thoughtful and a man who uses women for his own gratification. I also particularly adored Anja and was a little sad that we didn't see more of her.

Mema's home, and the nearby town and community, are well developed, showing both the beautiful and ugly sides to this small, often close-minded, community. Setting is paramount in this story and Cole delivers beautifully.

I really, really loved the complexity of Mema's relationships with Hamish and the local boy, Billy. The relationships could easily be reduced to overly simplistic, somewhat stereotypical tropes. Hamish, while serving as the catalyst for Mema's growth, is not presented as someone who opens doors for Mema, whisking her off to a new, better life. Nor is the character of Billy used as a rebound figure, to ground Mema after a flight of fancy.
I'm really struggling to write this review because Deeper Water is such a stunning book. I don't feel like I can properly do it justice but I do highly recommend it.