Book Review – ‘The Deep’ (2021)

“Black Wind at morning, sailors take warning.
Black Wind at night, death is in sight.”
– Maritime saying of the Tasman Peninsula.

The Black Wind is an extreme weather event in which string winds twist and pull at the ocean like a cyclone. It plays a major role in Kyle Perry’s latest novel, The Deep.

The Deep tells the story of the Dempsey family, who run a drug ring on the Tasman Peninsula. Mackerel Dempsey is on strict bail conditions and trying keep out of trouble before his next court date. Ahab Stark, who is Mackerel’s maternal cousin, has renounced the Dempsey family and works to keep the town safe. But when thirteen-year-old Forest Dempsey re-appears after several years of being presumed dead, Mackerel and Ahab are drawn back into the underworld.

The novel focusses on local legends, family, corrupt police, mental health, small town mentalities, drugs, and trauma. It is dark, complex, intriguing, and driven by the characters. Some of the characters lack credibility, however. They are also not as three-dimensional as the characters in Perry’s previous novel, The Bluffs.

The police investigation into Forest’s re-appearance took a backseat throughout the majority of The Deep. This is because Forest refuses to talk about what happened to him. But I think the novel would have benefitted from more scenes in which police investigators discussed the case.

Perry’s writing style, however, is laconic, forthright, and simple, akin to other Australian writers. His descriptions of the Tasman Peninsula are beautifully written, and his dialogue is realistic.

About Kyle Perry

Kyle Perry is a counsellor and youth worker who has worked extensively in high schools, youth shelters, and drug rehabs.

He grew up around the Tasmanian bush and seas.

Perry’s debut novel, The Bluffs, has been translated into five languages. It was shortlisted for the Dymocks Book of the Year and the Indie’s Debut Fiction Book of the Year, and was longlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards’ General Fiction Book of the Year.

Technical information

The Deep, Penguin Random House 2021, 450pp, ISBN 9781760895716, paperback with a photograph cover.