Book Review – The Deep Blue Between by Ayesha Harruna Attah
Twin sisters Hassana and Husseina’s home is in ruins after a brutal raid. But this is not the end but the beginning of their story, one that will take them to unfamiliar cities and cultures, where they will forge new families, ward off dangers and truly begin to know themselves.
As the twins pursue separate paths in Brazil and the Gold Coast of West Africa, they remain connected through shared dreams of water. But will their fates ever draw them back together?
A sweeping adventure with richly evocative historical settings, The Deep Blue Between is a moving story of the bonds that can endure even the most dramatic change.
My rating:
The deep blue between is a historical fiction that looks at the suffering of one family in Africa. I found it very interesting and would definitely be interested in learning more about the aspects of life that the book covers.
It is told for the perspective of twins Hassana and Husseina after they’ve been separated. Hassana manages to stay with their older sister, but the rest of the family is lost. The circumstances of both twins are incredibly sad and I found that I definitely wanted to know how it was going to work out for them. However, I found the storytelling lacking in connections. I couldn’t connect with either twin and the only people in the book who I felt we saw real caring for were fleeting. Even their dreams and particularly Hassana’s longing for her twin is delivered relatively factually and doesn’t really provide the sense to the reader.
The cultures we see are very interesting – I liked that we saw Husseina adjust to the Brazilian culture and in the end bring it back to Africa. And I liked that we saw what the British were getting up to from the African perspective (I definitely was waiting for that, we did some awful stuff, and it was good to see that reflected).
I also am not sure I saw the point of the ending. Other than reconnecting it didn’t seem to have a conclusion?
I wanted to like this more than I did. Definitely interesting reading, and I’m glad I read it, I just wanted more from the delivery. 2.5 stars.
Buy The Deep Blue Between from Waterstones.
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