The Deep is a vivid, accomplished tale of twin sisters caught up in the mania that was World War I. The year is 1918. Esther and Ruth, living a life privileged and protected, embark upon a journey to France that will profoundly affect their relationship with each other, those they leave behind and those they have yet to meet.

In France, their experiences bring them face to face with the horrors and tragedy of war, but also expose them to a world alive with drama. Mary Swan's ability to create the images and atmosphere of this strange world is her greatest strength.

A graduate of York University and the University of Guelph, Mary Swan has been published in numerous magazines and journals, including The Malahat Review in Canada, and Harper's in the United States. Her stories have also been published in several anthologies including Emergent Voices (Goose Lane 1990), Coming Attractions (Oberon 1999), Best Canadian Stories 92 (Oberon 1992) and The O. Henry Awards Prize Stories (2001). The Deep and Other Stories was published in the United States by Random House in the spring. Her novel Boys in the Trees was shortlisted for the Giller Prize in 2008. She lives in Guelph with her husband and daughter.

Mary Swan's profile page

• Short-listed, Commonwealth Best First Book / Canada & Caribbean

'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's Booktalk

'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.'

The New York Times

'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 that The Deep Mary 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.'

Canadian Book Review Annual

'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.'

eye

'The subtlety and compression of this writing are rare indeed.... Savour this gem, and watch for Swan's next.'

Globe & Mail