Hello Everyone!
(Sorry that this review is a little all over the place. I am writing it right after I finished the book, so all my thoughts are still a little scattered).
Until I read Challenger Deep, I had never had the experience of reading a book and feeling so represented by it that it moved me to tears. This book has changed that. Right after I put this book down, I just started crying. I will admit that I am one of those people that are prone to cry when they are moved by a book. However, the "my favorite character got killed off" cry and the "I feel represented in a way that I have never felt before" cry are *very* different.
I can not thank Neal Shusterman for not only writing this novel but also for putting so much of his personal experiences and the experiences of his loved ones into the story. We need more own voices novels about mental illness (and more own voices novels in general). Even though I do not suffer from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, I do suffer from mental illness and I felt *incredibly* represented by parts of Caden's character and his story arc, as well as by other characters in the novel. I appreciated the characters of Hal and Callie, as they gave the reader more characters to relate to, specifically if they were struggling with depression. I liked how awkward Caden was with Callie when she was on the other side of the glass, being "normal". It shows how intimate mental illness is and how close you can become with people who can relate to you in that way.
I listened to most of this book via audiobook (which I actually highly recommend because the narration is amazing!), so I couldn't underline a physical copy of the novel. However, I am really tempted to purchase a physical copy of Challenger Deep so that I can have it in my personal collection, and so that I can underline the sections that I found particularly moving. I will admit Challenger Deep is very confusing in the beginning. I promise that it makes more sense as the story progresses, so if you are confused please don't put it down! The story is a little easier to understand what is going on if you listen to the audiobook because of the narration style that is used. (I can't go into specifics without spoiling the book, but if you end up listening to the audiobook, you will pick up on what I am trying to say here). However, there are drawings and page breaks in the physical copy of the story that you miss if you only listen to the audiobook.
Overall, Challenger Deep is a deeply moving and complex story that is also beautifully written. It is easy to see that a lot of heart went into this book. I feel like I could keep writing this review and nothing that I say would be able to encapsulate what it was like to read this book. All I can say is please read it. Read it so you know you're not alone. Give it to a loved one so they can try and understand. I know one book isn't going to perfectly capture everyone's experience with mental illness. I don't even think that this book captured the whole of my experience with mental illness. However, there is so much that Challenger Deep got right in ways that I haven't seen before that it is absolutely worth a read.
Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
100% out of 100%
-Jaime