Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO READ THIS FOR SO LONG! I’ve seen it floating around booktube and the blogosphere ever since this book was released, but I’ve never gotten around to it. But when I saw that it was up for grabs on Netgalley in May, I seized the chance and requested it. A few hours later, I had been accepted. But, well… I didn’t start reading it until I was on holiday in Malta… in August…
This is a love story.
It’s the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets.
It’s the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once before Rachel moved to the sea.
Now, she’s back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother Cal and looking for the future in the books people love, and the words they leave behind.
OH. MY. GOD. This book is brilliant. It’s absolutely brilliant. I think one of the best things about this book is that it’s about books. I LOVE BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS or even books where the characters read. It makes me so happy, and I think it’s a brilliant way for authors to get their readers engaged. Words in the Deep Blue is pretty much set in a second-hand bookshop called Howling Books, and outside of the bookshop, there are references to books, conversations about books and just ugggghhhhh… It’s amazing. I just want to re-read it right now, but I can’t. Because well… the TBR is collapsing. I wish that there was a shop like Howling Books by me. I have a Waterstones, but it’s not really the same thing, is it? I can’t exactly leave notes for other readers in the books, or highlight my favourite passages and leave it for other readers. Not that I would highlight the books anyway, because that would break my heart.
“We are the books we read and the things we love.”
― Words in Deep Blue
I really do love the idea of writing in books and leaving messages for people in them, but just the thought of writing it books hurts my soul. I’m one of those readers who likes their books in pristine condition, and the only time I annotate and highlight books are academic books for when I’m studying the subject for university.
I think that the only thing that – not annoyed me but – got to me was that all of the books and the references were about classic books. I do love a good classic novel, and I definitely appreciate them, but it just seems like all references in bookish books are about the classics… Where are the references to Rainbow Rowell, or Cassandra Clare? I don’t know. But I do think that the redeeming quality about there being loads of classic books was that the characters weren’t snobs about them. They were just like ‘oh yeah, I like this book. It’s pretty cool. Check it out.’
“There should be a disconnect button you can push when someone leaves: you’ve fucked me over; therefore I no longer love you. I’m not asking for the button to be connected to an ejector seat that removes them from the universe, just one small button that removes them from your heart.”
― Words in Deep Blue
But enough about the bookish elements of the book. The characters were well fleshed out. I felt so attached to them because they were so three dimensional. They felt real, and those are the type of characters that I love the most. There is a sort of love triangle; it’s between Henry, Rachel and Henry’s ex-girlfriend, Amy. But it wasn’t the kind of love triangle that really got on your nerves, and was at the forefront of the novel. It was a big part of the novel about halfway through, but it still felt like it was in the background, and that the platonic relationships between the characters were the most important element.
The story is told from the perspectives of both Henry and Rachel, and I connected with both of them so much. I got so emotional with Rachel about the death of her brother, and with Henry, I just understood the mess that he was in.
“Words do matter. They’re not pointless. If they were pointless then they couldn’t start revolutions and they wouldn’t change history and they wouldn’t be the things that you think about every night before you go to sleep. If they were just words we wouldn’t listen to songs.”
― Words in Deep Blue
Also, just as a quick mention, I loved George so much. I loved her relationship with her pen-pal, and I thought that (even though she was a secondary character) she was such a well-built character and I really really want a spin-off about her because I just love her so much.
Overall, this is an amazing book and I thoroughly urge EVERYONE to read it. I just love this so much and I do really really really want to re-read it. My little sister read it (and she doesn’t read that much) and she loved it as well, and I’m trying to bribe her into writing her own little review for this book. For more information on this bribe, read this post! So yes, everyone! Read this book! And I promise you that you will fall in love with it, just like I did!
