The Deep
`In the present literary-critical climate, if this book receives any attention at all (which is, alas, by no means certain), it is likely to be praised for presenting women's experience and attitudes in what is almost invariably regarded as an all-male preserve. This would not be inaccurate, but it would be hopelessly beside the point. What ought to be emphasized is the fact thatThe DeepMary Swan's first book-length publication, introduces a potentially major writer to the Canadian scene. This novella is faultlessly written, artfully controlled, unforgettable. The world of 1918 is splendidly evoked, but, as we read, we should be responding to the sheer beauty of Swan's unostentatious but crisp and impeccable prose. A brilliant debut. Read it.'(W J KeithCanadian Book Review Annual)`The narrative is electrified by [an] audacious double voice, along with an equally audacious structural complexity. Swift movements through time and space and shifts in perspective among a small army of supporting characters might easily have led to confusion. Yet the care and control of Swan's writing, the sustained patterns of her imagery and the sheer beauty of her prose clarify everything that is essential to the story while preserving its central mystery.'(Andrea BarrettThe New York Times)`The subtlety and compression of this writing are rare indeed.... Savour this gem, and watch for Swan's next.'(Jim BartleyGlobe & Mail)`There is something sexy about the alienating elegance of Swan's prose. Terrible events at the battlefront are referred to alongside ordinary events in hotels and bars. But it is the objects, the materials of daily life, that get the most attention.'(Natalee Capleeye)`There's lots of ... shifts in this wonderful feat of fragmentary storytelling which never loses its unity of focus in the powerful image of the twins who share one mind and soul. The dramatic tension builds, and the pages turn, because we sense that each of this multitude of voices knows more than we could guess about the story's end. The Deep has a beautiful consistency of tone that evokes both its time and its two main characters. And since we never seem to learn the lesson, it speaks to us yet again about the tragedy of war.'(Carole GiangrandeCarole's Booktalk)