Daughter of the Merciful Deep

A woman journeys into a submerged world of gods and myth to save her home in this powerful historical fantasy that shines a light on the drowned Black towns of the American South.

'Our home began, as all things do, with a wish.'

Jane Edwards hasn't spoken since she was eleven years old, when armed riders expelled her family from their hometown along with every other Black resident. Now, twelve years later, she's found a haven in the all-Black town of Awenasa. But the construction of a dam promises to wash her home under the waters of the new lake.

To save her community, Jane must journey into a sunken world. A land of capricious gods and unsung myths; of salvation and dreams made real. But the flood waters are rising and to gain the miracle she desires, Jane will have to find her voice again and finally face the trauma of the past.

'Penelope fuses magical realism, folklore and African American history into a profound and rousing fantasy' Publishers Weekly

'A mesmerising tale that deftly blends history and magic' Nicole glover, author of The Conductors