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Diving into Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
- Jul 16, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 27, 2021
It’s Fiction Friday! Let’s Talk… Challenger Deep and mental health themes in fiction. The National Book Award and Golden Kite Award Winner, Challenger Deep, is a captivating novel about mental illness that lingers long beyond the last page and is a heartfelt tour de force by New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman.
National Schizophrenia Awareness Day – 25th July 2021
Synopsis
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 behaviour.
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.
The only thing you have for measuring what’s real is your mind . . . so what happens when your mind becomes a pathological liar? Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep
Literary Awards
National Book Award for Young People’s Literature (2015)
California Book Award for Young Adult (Gold) (2015)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee (2018)
Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2016)
Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Nominee (2016)
Lincoln Award Nominee (2017)
Premio El Templo de las Mil Puertas for Mejor Novela Extranjera Independiente (2017)
Forget solar energy—if you could harness denial, it would power the world for generations. Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep
Reviews
“Haunting, unforgettable, and life-affirming all at once.” – Booklist, starred review
“Clearly written with love, the novel is moving; but it’s also funny, with dry, insightful humour. Illustrations by the author’s son Brendan, drawn during his own time in the depths of mental illness, haunt the story with scrambling, rambling lines, tremulousness, and intensity.” – Horn Book, starred review
“Teens, especially fans of the author’s other novels, will enjoy this book. This affecting deep dive into the mind of a schizophrenic will captivate readers, engender empathy for those with mental illnesses, and offer much fodder for discussion.” – School Library Journal, starred review
“Challenger Deep is a deeply powerful and personal novel from one of today’s most admired writers for teens.”
“A brilliant journey across the dark sea of mental illness; frightening, sensitive, and powerful. Simply extraordinary.” – Laurie Halse Anderson, award-winning author of Speak
“An adventure in perspective as well as plot, this unusual foray into schizophrenia should leave readers with a deeper understanding of the condition.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A powerful collaboration… [Caden’s] story turns symptoms into lived reality in ways readers won’t easily forget.”
4.14 stars on Goodreads with 22,629 ratings and 4,572 reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Ranks:
170 in Fiction About Boys & Men for Young Adults
172 in Fiction About Disability for Young Adults (Books)
294 in Fiction About Depression & Mental Illness for Young Adults
And when the abyss looks into you – and it will – may you look back unflinching. Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep
My Review
I was granted the opportunity once to proofread and anglicise a reprint of Challenger Deep during my time at Walker Books. Shusterman’s unconventional storytelling is something some readers may have to adjust to, but it is cleverly done and provides authenticity to the story as seen through a schizophrenic lens. It is told from two sides of the same coin: Caden’s perspective of his everyday life and his perspective of a ship sailing towards the deepest point on Earth. The story is simultaneously disjointed and fluid as we share the experiences of hallucinations and delusions. During times those not suffering the condition may not relate to the experience, we gain understanding of Caden and schizophrenia. Written with a dry sense of humour, I found this story gripping – even during my lunch break I didn’t want to put this down – and coming back to reality left my mind swirling. Challenger Deep accurately addresses the mountains and pitfalls of mental health without glamourizing it. It is frightening, funny, and emotionally moving. I wanted to help Caden, I was rooting for his some-what ‘happy ending’, but that is not the truth of suffering with schizophrenia. It is a long-term condition that can only be managed. The reader is made to feel what the families of those suffering feel: the inability to help. You may come away from this story and feel it was a ‘weird’ read, or overwhelmed from the emotional roller-coaster you just rode. The puzzling aspect of this story is completely intended. Schizophrenia doesn’t always make sense. You can see and hear things that other’s cannot, and there will not be an explanation as to why you see those things in particular. Challenger Deep is an entertaining, thought-provoking read, that breaks down the walls (stigmas) that separate the mentally ‘healthy’ and the mentally ‘ill’. This book erases that line dividing the two.
Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug. Neal Shusterman, Challeneger Deep
Author
Neal Shusterman is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author. He is the author of Bruiser, The Schwa Was Here, and the Unwind dystology, among many other books. He lives in California with his family, including his son Brendan, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 16.
“To name her is to sink her,” he told me. “That which we name takes greater weight than the sea it displaces. Ask any shipwreck.” Neal Shusterman
Publication Information
Publication Date: 21st May 2015 / 6th August 2020
Publisher: HarperCollins (2015) / Walker Books (2020)
Format: Paperback
Pagination: 320 pages / 336 pages
Reading Age: 14 years and up
Genre: Fiction
Other Themes: Mental Health, Schizophrenia
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National Schizophrenia Awareness Day – 25th July 2021
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