The Deep by Nick Cutter

Down below the ocean

The Deep by Nick Cutter is set in an apocalyptic world where a disease called “the ‘Gets” is destroying humanity. It works similar to Alzheimer’s. Victims forget who they are and lose their identities. Eventually they become completely incapacitated and pass away. Unlike Alzheimer’s, which disproportionately affects the elderly, the ‘Gets is equally likely to befall people of any age.

The main character is Luke, a lonely veterinarian who often ruminates about traumas from his past. We learn about his abusive mother, his submissive father who allowed the abuse to take place, and his brilliant but sociopathic brother, Clayton, who is working in an underwater facility several miles below the ocean surface as part of a team trying to discover a cure for the ‘Gets.

Clayton, who I imagine looking and sounding similar to Dr. Herbert West from Reanimator, doesn’t care about saving lives. He loves experiments, though. Clayton is working with a bizarre and potentially revolutionary substance at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Luke is shocked when he learns that his brother, who he has been estranged from for years, has sent a mysterious message begging him to come to the facility. Despite strong misgivings, Luke decides it’s his duty to help. He agrees to journey down into the deep darkness.

Cutter never gives Luke a compelling reason for going to the facility. Usually a character needs more motivation to risk their life than a plea from a brother they don’t even like.

Luke is one of the most ill-fated and unlucky protagonists I’ve ever read. In addition to his unhappy childhood, his adult life has been torn apart by tragedy. Several years before the events of the book, his six-year old son Zachary mysteriously disappeared at a park. His wife Abby blames him for losing their son, poisoning what had been a happy marriage. Luke often fantasizes about finding his son and/or reconciling with Abby.

At first glance, The Deep falls neatly into the aquatic horror category. But first impressions are deceiving. It has elements of several different subgenres, but ultimately this is a cosmic horror work. There is a distinctly Lovecraftian flavor to the story, especially in the second half.

Its Flaws Are Impossible to Forget

Unfortunately, this novel has major issues. In a word, it’s excessive. The Deep desperately needed tighter editing.

It’s too long. My paperback copy is nearly 400 pages, which is 20-25% longer than the story requires. The main issue is Luke’s constant repetitive ruminations, especially his memories of his mother. We get it – his mom was psychopathic and horrible to be around. We don’t need to be reminded over and over and over again with flashbacks.

That’s not the only element that is excessive. I don’t usually put trigger warnings in my reviews, but people who don’t want to read graphic animal abuse should skip this book. Cutter has an almost fetishistic fixation with the brutal and prolonged torture of animals, especially dogs. His vivid descriptions are so insanely brutal that they hurl past disturbing and into the realm of the ludicrous.

And whooo boy, this book’s ending pisses off a lot of people. I understand why, but honestly, it didn’t bother me as much as some. Still, this is one of the most bleak and depressing conclusions I’ve ever read or watched.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing – I’m never going to punish a horror work for being too dark. In the end, this book has only one message: nothing matters. The universe is meaningless and life is, quite literally, a joke.

Despite its flaws, I’m going to give The Deep a halfway decent rating for one reason: it didn’t bore me. To me, boredom is the cardinal sin for any movie, show or book. If you must be flawed, at least be flawed in an interesting way.

The Deep actually made me feel things. The underground facility is claustrophobic and creepy. The flashback where Luke loses his son is chilling and eerie. His bittersweet memories of his once great relationship with his now ex-wife had me pitying him.

Some books are a chore for me to get through, like the painfully unfunny wannabe satire How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive or the insufferably dull and pretentious The Library at Hellebore. The Deep, for all its many flaws, at least manages to be somewhat interesting.

Still, there are much better options out there. Readers who want a contemporary postapocalyptic novel that tackles similar nihilistic themes would be much better off reading Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle. Cosmic horror lovers looking for a book with some similar plot elements would be way better off with The Colour Out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft.