A Letter to the Luminous Deep

by Sylvie Cathrall

Overview

★ An Amazon Best Book of the Month
★ An IndieNext Pick 

“An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore.” —Freya Marske

A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.

E. is content with a solitary life in her extraordinary underwater home, until the discovery of a strange, beautiful creature outside her window prompts her to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

But when a mysterious seaquake destroys E.'s home, she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.'s sister Sophy and Henerey's brother, Vyerin, must piece together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind and learn what their siblings’ disappearances might mean for life as they know it.

“A shimmering, delicately crafted delight.” —H.G. Parry

“A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice.” —Louisa Morgan

“Both the setting and the story are exquisite.” —Megan Bannen

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316565530
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	04/23/2024
Series:	The Sunken Archive , #1
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Sylvie Cathrall writes stories of hope and healing with healthy doses of wonder and whimsy. She holds a graduate degree in odd Victorian art and has handled more than a few nineteenth-century letters (with great care). Sylvie married her former pen pal and lives in the mountains, where she dresses impractically and dreams of the sea.

Editorial Reviews

"This book is not shaped like a book, and I mean that as a compliment. It is instead an underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity. Take a deep breath and dive in."—Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

"Cathrall's debut caught me up on a wave of whimsy and swept me away with its charm. A story to be cherished."—Lyra Selene, author of A Feather So Black

"A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice. A watery wonder of a novel! I loved it." —Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches

"A Letter to the Luminous Deep is like nothing I've read before. The heartfelt intimacy of the epistolary narrative, juxtaposed with the magnificent oceanic world-building, results in a novel that is at once deeply human and mind-bogglingly imaginative. Both the setting and the story are exquisite, but it was the lovingly crafted voices of the characters that kept me hooked from beginning to end."—Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

“A shimmering, delicately crafted delight of a book, steeped in love for the wonder of nature and the vagaries of archival research. Readers looking for heartwarming romance and scholarly mystery against the backdrop of a wildly imaginative world will be charmed.”—H.G. Parry, author of The Magician’s Daughter

"With its gorgeous underwater setting and whimsical academic sensibility, A Letter to the Luminous Deep is a strange, epistolary wonder." —Mary McMyne, author of The Book of Gothel

"Cathrall spins a captivating tale of mystery and romance set in an enchanting underwater society in her wondrous debut...This poetic and emotional tale announces the arrival of a skilled storyteller."—Publishers Weekly


“A poignant epistolary adventure set in an underwater landscape filled with academics, explorers, and artists.”—BookPage

"Cathrall debuts with a wonderfully charming epistolary novel...Readers will want to savor the delightful letters that make up this cozy fantasy set in academia and an underwater world."—Library Journal

"Through these letters, a tale of love, friendship, and secrets unfolds, captivating readers with its whimsical charm and intriguing plot twists. In her debut, Cathrall skillfully addresses themes of mental health and anxiety, adding depth and authenticity to the characters' experiences. With its cozy-fantasy atmosphere and rich character development, A Letter to The Luminous Deep will appeal to fans of epistolary novels and readers who enjoy stories with elements of romance, mystery, and fantasy."—Booklist

"Whimsical and heartfelt, with a radar trained on delight."—Kirkus

"A heartwarming, beautifully written debut." —Observer

From the Publisher

2024-03-23
This story of pen pals turned lovers unfolds in a series of letters and “Automated Post missives” as the two learn more about their underwater world.

Struck by curiosity, E. Cidnosin writes a letter to Scholar Henerey Clel hoping he’ll help her identify an “Elongated Fish.” Through their ongoing correspondence—as well as later letters between members of their families—we learn more about E. and Henerey and the world around them. For instance, one of Henerey’s scholarly publications says this: “Ever since the tragedy of the Dive ushered in our new Society, people who seek to understand the creatures with whom we share this world have published great Treatises to prove themselves as worthy Scholars.” In this new society triggered by the mysterious event called “the Dive,” people live primarily underwater in places like Boundless Campus and Intertidal Campus, as well as on the Atoll, which is the “only known landmass in the world.” E. lives “a few hundred fathoms off-coast” of Boundless Campus in a family home called “Deep House.” She suffers from “a Malady of the Mind that made certain things—like leaving the house, interacting with strangers, or not obsessing over the fragility of her own mortality—very difficult.” Even so, as her correspondence with Henerey grows, so does her fondness for him. The diction and syntax of the letters revel in a bygone era’s romance and quick wit, showcasing the art of letter writing. The long-distance friends eventually meet at a gala hosted by E.’s brother, Arvist, at Deep House, where their conversation ingeniously continues on the back of the event’s “programme.” The scholarly search for knowledge to better understand this underwater world propels the plot into the unknown, where many curiosities are yet to be uncovered. Additionally, the letters between E.’s sister, Sophy Cidnorghe, and Henerey’s brother, Vyerin Clel, allude to something that has happened to the couple, and Arvist makes a last-minute confession that sets further mysteries in place to be unraveled in the next book in this series.

Whimsical and heartfelt, with a radar trained on delight.

Kirkus Reviews