Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Challenger Deep

I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up the book. I just found the cover and title interesting.

The beginning was confusing for me but as the book went on, it started to make more sense. This book depicts mental illness in a way that I had not read before. It is very well written and encapsulating.

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thlad's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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212keatsk's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

God what an phenomenal representation of mental illness. I felt viscerally uncomfortable as Caden did as he spirals into his own world and begins to lose touch of the reality he perceives. I’m never going to read this again, but I hope that everybody does read it. I didn’t understand what it was truly like to have bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and now I feel I can better empathize with those that experience it.
Neal shusterman strikes again with another profound and powerful commentary on the human psyche.

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mjkouele's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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clfenters's review

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I found that the book gave me a better understanding of psychosis and schizophrenia, but the actual experience of reading it was tedious. I began skimming about a third of the way through the book and don't regret doing that.

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applesauceee's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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butteredtoastinbed's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such an exceptional, emotional and thought-provoking novel that I really loved. The story as a whole felt very important and the final takeaway of the book felt deeply necessary, too. It did not feel like a stereotype - it was explained from a place of empathy and understanding, which I feel is more significant than almost anything else in the book. Having said this, I also loved the story just as a story; it was written so well, the characters were all multi-dimensioned with flaws and were all very impactful and lovable. The finale was perfect, the pacing was fantastic and I constantly found myself wanting to read more.

One of my favourite aspects was the repeated symbolism, motifs and hints between the two sides of the story that really helped both relate more with the main character (in the sense that I felt lost, confused and washed up, just as he did), but also read deeper into the story and appreciate the writing more. The style of writing was really enjoyable and matched the voice of the main character really well, along with the themes and feelings of the story perfectly.

The illustrations are not to be overlooked, too. They added so much atmosphere to the story while I was reading and they were great in helping me to connect more with the main character.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone, it was not only fun to read but is a hugely important piece of writing.

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