Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley Summary, Characters and Themes

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley is a sharp, emotionally intelligent coming-of-age novel that traces the evolution of Percy, a college student obsessed with music and meaning. 

Set against the 2000s indie zine culture in Berkeley, the book explores the messy intersections of art, identity, desire, and betrayal. Through music essays, complex friendships, and an intense creative entanglement with Joe—a musician dating Percy’s editor and friend—Percy finds herself both lost and remade. Each chapter, titled after a song, becomes a lens for transformation. Deep Cuts is a love letter to misfits, melodies, and the personal revolutions sparked by pop culture.

Summary

Percy is a music-obsessed college student in Berkeley who writes for an indie feminist zine called Ring Finger. Her life shifts after an electrifying conversation about Hall & Oates’ “Sara Smile” with Joe Morrow, a musician who happens to be dating Zoe—Percy’s editor and friend. 

What starts as shared musical enthusiasm turns into an emotionally charged creative collaboration. Percy critiques Joe’s demo, expecting resistance, but instead they grow closer, communicating through mixtapes, lyrics, and late-night exchanges.

As Percy dives deeper into her writing, crafting columns about the Beach Boys, Public Enemy, and No Doubt, she also dives deeper into Joe’s world. Zoe supports Percy’s voice in the zine, creating a complicated triangle of support, respect, and increasing romantic tension. 

Percy, haunted by her outsider upbringing and emotional distance from her family, begins to see her own potential and flaws more clearly as her connection with Joe intensifies.

During a visit to Joe and Zoe’s hometown, Percy sees firsthand the history and intimacy between them. It only makes her emotional attachment to Joe more fraught. 

As Percy continues to write and evolve, she’s caught between authenticity and ambition, desire and guilt. Their collaboration culminates in Joe performing a new song—thinly veiled references to Percy included—sending ripple effects through their friend group.

Zoe begins to suspect the truth, leading to confrontation and fracture. Joe distances himself, Zoe cuts Percy off, and Percy becomes a pariah in the zine scene. Social rejection at school, particularly from the supposedly inclusive indie community, leaves her feeling betrayed and isolated. 

She retreats inward, journaling and reassessing her motivations, values, and the fragility of her world.

A chance academic encounter reignites Percy’s intellectual drive, reminding her that her voice matters outside the zine circle. 

Joe resurfaces briefly, sharing a song and regret, but Percy refuses to fall back into old patterns. This decision marks a shift: she’s no longer letting others define her narrative.

In the final third, Percy matures quietly. She writes again, not for validation, but for clarity. Joe becomes a distant memory with a band of his own, mining their story for lyrics. Percy feels ambivalent—both proud and violated. She reconnects with her old roommate Megan, gaining emotional grounding.

Slowly, she finds her people again. 

At a Britpop night, she enjoys music free from pretense. A gentle, uneventful date reminds her of the value in ease and honesty. When Joe reaches out again, they speak candidly. 

Percy acknowledges the truth of their bond but also its toxicity. She forgives him but walks away.

She begins to build a quiet, stable life—decorating her apartment, making playlists not for heartbreak but joy. 

She lands a music writing gig with a respected publication and, for the first time, doesn’t feel like an imposter. Even Zoe’s success no longer stings. Percy reaches out with a brief, genuine message of congratulations. Zoe replies. A kind of peace settles.

The book ends not with a grand declaration but a moment of reflection. At a friend’s wedding, Percy dances to a song that once helped define her pain. Now it’s celebration. On a solitary walk to a childhood bridge, she hums a tune and steps into her future, finally ready to write—and live—on her own terms.

Characters

Percy

Percy is the protagonist, a college student navigating the realms of music, personal identity, and emotional relationships. Her journey is marked by a deep connection to music, which serves as both a form of expression and a coping mechanism throughout her life.

Percy’s love for music, specifically through her work with a feminist zine, makes her both a voice in the indie scene and an outsider in many of the social circles she inhabits. She is introspective and at times struggles with loneliness and self-doubt.

Over the course of the novel, Percy evolves from a naive and somewhat impulsive character into someone more self-aware and grounded. Her emotional journey includes grappling with guilt, desire, and betrayal, particularly in her complicated relationships with Joe and Zoe.

Her growth is marked by her ability to take ownership of her voice as a writer and as a person. Ultimately, Percy learns to value stability and self-respect over emotional chaos.

Joe

Joe is another central figure, a musician whose emotional depth and artistic ambition draw Percy in. Initially portrayed as the idealized “musical soulmate,” Joe’s presence in the novel becomes a vehicle for exploring themes of desire, creative collaboration, and personal conflict.

Joe’s character oscillates between being a supportive and empathetic partner in their musical collaboration and an emotionally distant figure who leaves Percy to grapple with the fallout of their relationship. His return in the later chapters reveals a person still grappling with regret.

Ultimately, it’s his creative success and self-reinvention that mark his growth. Through Joe, Percy learns not only about love and loss but also about how personal history can be both a source of inspiration and a burden when used too freely in art.

Zoe

Zoe is the third key character in this emotional triangle. As Joe’s girlfriend and Percy’s acquaintance, Zoe represents a more grounded and pragmatic view of the music scene.

At first, Zoe seems to embody the “cool girl” who is already established in the indie music world, but as the narrative unfolds, she becomes a more complex character. Her relationship with Percy fluctuates from alliance to rivalry, as Percy’s growing closeness to Joe threatens their friendship.

Zoe’s strength and emotional resilience are evident, particularly as she grapples with the betrayal she feels from both Percy and Joe. She is a character who undergoes significant transformation as she learns to navigate trust, jealousy, and her own path in music.

By the end of the novel, Zoe’s success no longer feels like a direct threat to Percy’s growth. This signals a shift in their dynamic from competition to a quiet, respectful truce.

Themes

The Theme of Music as Identity and Expression

The theme of music as both a personal and social identity runs deeply throughout Deep Cuts, reflecting the complexities of how individuals, especially the protagonist Percy, shape their identity through their musical preferences and interactions. Music in the novel becomes not just a background element, but an essential part of Percy’s self-discovery, providing both comfort and conflict as she navigates relationships and creative endeavors.

Her involvement in the zine world, her collaboration with Joe, and her reflections on music’s power to communicate emotions reveal the profound role music plays in expressing one’s innermost thoughts and feelings. The songs she engages with, from Hall & Oates to Neutral Milk Hotel, serve as metaphors for her emotional journey and the evolving contours of her identity.

As she grapples with the changing dynamics of her friendships and love life, music provides a form of catharsis, yet also symbolizes the deep rifts and emotional wounds that are both healed and inflicted by creative expression.

The Complexities of Unspoken Boundaries and Emotional Entanglements

Another dominant theme explored in Deep Cuts is the tension between desire and ethical responsibility, particularly in how Percy navigates the emotional and moral implications of her growing connection with Joe. Throughout the novel, there is an ongoing examination of the unspoken boundaries that govern relationships, especially when personal and professional lives become intertwined.

Percy’s emotional journey with Joe is marked by blurred lines—whether through their musical collaboration, the charged moments they share, or the profound guilt she feels in crossing boundaries with her friend Zoe. This theme explores the fragility of personal integrity in the face of desire, the manipulation of emotional vulnerability, and the repercussions of unspoken intentions.

The eventual fallout from these entanglements forces Percy to confront the limits of emotional intimacy, learning that while some boundaries are fluid, others must be rigidly upheld for her emotional and moral well-being.

The Evolving Nature of Feminism and Empowerment in Subcultures

Feminism and self-empowerment within the context of subcultures, particularly the music scene, is a theme that Deep Cuts explores through Percy’s experiences in the zine community and her place in Berkeley’s music scene. Percy’s involvement with Ring Finger, a feminist zine, reveals the often contradictory and complex expectations placed on women within music and creative circles.

While music and writing serve as outlets for empowerment, they also expose the tensions of being a woman in spaces dominated by male voices and perspectives. The novel addresses how Percy’s feminist ideals evolve as she is faced with real-world dilemmas—balancing critique with camaraderie, friendship with competition, and creative collaboration with personal desires.

Through her interactions with Zoe, Joe, and the wider zine community, Percy experiences the growth of her feminist consciousness, marked by her increasing ability to assert her voice and navigate spaces where women’s contributions are often minimized. This theme serves as a critique of the contradictions within the indie music scene and broader feminist subcultures, highlighting the challenges of asserting one’s identity in a landscape filled with competing expectations.

The Impact of Betrayal and the Search for Healing

Betrayal, both emotional and creative, is a recurring theme in Deep Cuts, with Percy facing the painful realization that the people she trusts may not uphold the integrity she expects. Joe’s actions—his emotional manipulation, his disregard for Percy’s feelings, and his exploitation of their shared history for personal gain—serve as the primary catalyst for Percy’s deep personal and creative crises.

Yet, the theme of betrayal extends beyond Joe’s behavior, reflecting the broader disillusionment Percy experiences within the music scene and her friendship with Zoe. Percy’s search for healing becomes a central thread of the novel as she learns to confront the hurt, work through her guilt, and slowly rebuild her identity.

The healing process is not immediate, nor is it simple, but it is marked by personal growth, new realizations, and the development of a more mature and grounded identity.

The Struggles and Triumphs of Navigating Isolation and Belonging

Another key theme in Deep Cuts revolves around Percy’s struggle with isolation, both personal and social, and her desire for belonging in the world of music and intellectual circles. The emotional turbulence Percy faces, especially after the fallout with Joe and Zoe, exposes the vulnerability that comes with seeking validation in creative communities.

She is repeatedly faced with rejection—from being excluded from zine meetings to her estrangement from Joe and Zoe—and yet, as she grows more introspective, Percy learns to find her place not in the approval of others, but in her own voice.

This theme is explored through Percy’s increasing solitude, which leads her to deepen her self-awareness. The moments of personal achievement, such as when Percy writes for a respected online music platform or finds peace in a quiet date, highlight the shift from seeking external validation to embracing internal peace.

The novel suggests that true belonging does not come from fitting in with others, but from creating space for oneself within the chaos of life.

The Fluidity of Relationships and the Lessons They Teach

The fluidity and complexity of relationships form the backbone of Deep Cuts, with the novel exploring how relationships shift, evolve, and sometimes dissolve altogether. Percy’s relationships with Joe, Zoe, and her broader friend group highlight the difficulties of navigating love, friendship, and professional connections, particularly when personal feelings intersect with creative collaboration.

The theme of relational fluidity is also tied to the idea of personal growth, as Percy learns from each of her relationships, even the painful ones. The development of her bond with Joe from collaboration to emotional entanglement and betrayal illustrates how relationships can be both transformative and destructive.

Similarly, Percy’s eventual reconnection with Megan represents the possibility of healing old wounds and forming more authentic, supportive friendships. In the end, the novel portrays relationships not as static entities but as dynamic forces that shape personal evolution, teaching important lessons about trust, boundaries, and the complexities of human connection.