Review: Challenger Deep

General Information

Title: Challenger Deep
Author: Neal Shusterman
Pages: 309
Publisher: Harper Teen
ISBN: 9780062413093
My rating: ★★★★☆

About: Caden Bosch lives two lives at once: high school student and sailor on a ship headed for the Marianas Trench, the deepest point of the ocean. Nobody knows about that, but his friends and family are starting to notice his odd behavior after a while. But Caden can't explain the importance of his mission to anyone because it's only real to him - but does that mean it's less real than the experiences of others? Challenger Deep is a quiet yet important ya novel that portrays mental illness in a heartwarming and personal way.

I dare to say that this book is one of a kind.
An important, but not a light topic, and therefore it was extremely difficult for me to rate.

I can't say the story captivated me right from the start. There were parts where I really wasn't sure about the book and where it's going. It took me quite a while to get into the story and to understand what's happening, but I think that was exactly the point of it. There's no linear story, it's not particularly exciting, and still I found myself drawn in more and more. Some parts were so deep and emotional and amazing and really made me think. 

This is two stories in one - intertwined but also separate. The places Caden goes to are obviously fantasy to the reader, but on the other hand we know they're real to him. There are so many metaphors and deeper meanings, sometimes they were hard for me to grasp. But once I did, the genius of it actually blew me away.

This book is based on the journey through mental illness and recovery of Neal Shusterman's son. There are drawings his son drew, and they added to the story in such a nice way. The book felt really personal, like the author really put a piece of his soul into it. It isn't just about the illness itself, but also about what it's like to be hospitalized, go to therapy and take meds. It's not just about one specific mental illness story, and it also touches on the subject of how this affects Caden's family and friends
Trigger warning: attempted suicide.

It's an extremely important book because I think mental illness, in whatever form, is a topic that concerns everyone. The media often portrays schizophrenia wrongly, and I think this book can help people (try to) understand what it's really like. Even though it's not something I normally read I enjoyed this book and I'd recommend it to everyone ages 12 and up. It's a book you can very well discuss with others or maybe even read in class.