Monday, 31 August 2015

TEEN BOOK REVIEW: Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman


SPOILER ALERT!!!  This review may contain spoilers!!




Amazon Summary


Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.

Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.

Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence, to document the journey with images.

Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.

Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.
Caden Bosch is torn.

A captivating and powerful novel that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by one of today's most admired writers for teens.


Book Review


Challenger Deep is a fascinating novel focusing on the life of 15 year old Caden who suffers from a mental illness.  His story takes a series of twists and turns as his perception of normal life mixes with illusions of make believe. 
Caden believes that he is on a boat ride to the Marianas Trench, ultimately ending up in a dark and foreboding place called Challenger Deep. But in reality, Caden has been placed in a psychiatric facility due to his erratic behaviour.  Even under the treatment of psychiatrists and medication Caden continues to struggle with his own inner demons and sanity. 
Through his travels within his mind, Caden eventually has an epiphany that allows him to escape from his trip. This brings a sense of calmness and enlightenment to Caden allowing him to move forward and return home. 
This book had a much darker aspect then I originally expected at the onset. I found Caden to be an interesting character and his experiences insightful. I would recommend this book as I enjoyed reading Challenger Deep. I would rate this novel a four out of five.

Joshua (Teen Reviewer)

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