All the kids in the club are interesting, quirky people.Īnd, can I just talk about how impressed I am that Francesca Zappia wrote the bulk of this novel in middle school and high school. The cast of secondary characters is a lot of fun too. The scenes with the two of them crackled with intensity. In some ways, it was very conscious, and the book made my brain work in a different way than it normally does while I'm reading. Overall, what I loved most about reading this book, is that it was such a different type of reading experience. And, while I think I did a better job untangling reality from the delusions than Alex did, there were plenty of things that I got wrong. Alex is the ultimate unreliable narrator after all, as she doesn't even know what is real. It was such a weird experience reading it because I truly had no idea what was real and what was delusion. How can she know what's real and what isn't and how can she get anyone to believe her? Weird things keep happening at Alex's school, but weird things always happen to Alex. As the year progresses, Alex falls in with a community service club run by Miles and populated with a interesting assortment of students. There she meet Miles Ritcher, a boy that she thinks she recognizes as her first friend, but wasn't he a delusion? She doesn't know. Made You Up chronicles Alex's senior year of high school which also happens to be her first year at a new school. Daily she battles her mind trying to determine what is real and what is a delusion. The notes at the end of the book about Shusterman's family's own experiences with mental illness-the drawings were all done by his son Brendan during his illness-make the tale that much more poignant.Ĭhallenger Deep was out April 21st, 2015.Īlex Ridgemont is schizophrenic. Caden's voyage, the ship's crewman, the sea monsters, and the threat of mutiny convey the struggles of mental illness and the fight for recovery with a physicality that would not otherwise be possible. I think one could argue that they act as an allegory for mental illness. Those delusions are also so vibrantly real. The reader begins to piece this together much sooner than Caden does. The other thing that I really love about this book is how Caden's delusions are connected to his physical world. At this point things start coming together for the reader, as well, an indication of Caden's increased clarity. Indication that Caden is beginning (he has a long way to go) to getīetter. When the narration once again returns to first person, it's an Really help to convey the intensity of Caden's problem. The second person portions of the book are so disorienting and Mind is connected to everything in the world, and the narration switches Then, as Caden gets sicker he starts to feel like his In first person, and it's a bit confusing. The writing itself echoes Caden's experience. Part to put the pieces together when Caden cannot.īrilliantly written with an intentionality that is rare. Primarily in first person so it takes some effort on the readers Presents Caden's story in extremely short chapters that bounce back andįorth between Caden's reality and his delusions. Reality, for Caden, is slipping away.Ĭhallenger Deep is amazingly good and incredibly compelling. In another world he is on a voyage to explore Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench aboard a ship full of misfits and contradictions. At least he's pretty sure they are who they say they are. In one world he lives with his parents and younger sister. These are important topics, and it is so refreshing to see authors tackling them with honesty.Ĭaden Bosch is coming unmoored. Caden and Alex are main characters who cannot separate reality from delusion. Within a month we have two books out that deal with issues of mental health and mental illness.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |