Read our sample translation of deepdeepblue

About the book

Anemonefish always live in groups that contain one female (the biggest fish) and a harem of males (or family, depending on how you look at it). The largest male mates with the female. When the female dies, the largest male then becomes a female and mates with the second-largest male, who is then the largest. And so the circle continues. You are not born female, but you turn yourself into a female when circumstances demand it.

Without a swimming certificate, your chances of survival diminish, as the narrator of deepdeepblue knows. She has learned how to remain calm in turbulent waters and that when the sea is rough, it’s best to dive to the bottom and let the roaring waves crash over you. But in real life, such lessons are of little value.

In her debut novel, Nikki Dekker explores what the creatures of the deep can teach us about love and identity in an associative way.

 deepdeepblue is a rich, essay-like novel about the unstoppable longing for unknown places, other lives, and the water that always sustains us.