Reviews - Le goût amer de l'abîme

2.17k reviews for:

Le goût amer de l'abîme

Neal Shusterman

4.16 AVERAGE

hayleeeex's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

r_s_tea's review against another edition

3.0

As always, glad to have thoughtful, respectful, insightful points of view when it comes to mental illness in fiction.

saskiami's review against another edition

2.75

medium-paced

I LOVED this book when I was Caden’s age (15). As an adult, I usually still enjoy teen books but this one I think I’m too old for. The premise- the analogy of mental illness to being on a ship- is great, and there were a couple moments that really hit home for me, like YES this is exactly what it feels like to struggle with your mental health. I think the book’s overall impact was muted by the fact that Caden is much younger than me and thus his world and struggles are just a bit ‘smaller’. I also didn’t need to be reminded so frequently what teenage boys think about- the casual sexism and racial microaggressions prevented me from fully immersing in the story. This concept had a lot of potential but ultimately fell short.

readlikefire's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

windycorner's review against another edition

5.0

There are many great YA novels dealing with depression and suicide. This is the first I've read that portrays an adolescent narrator with schizophrenia (or schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder ... as is often true in life, the diagnosis in the story is elusive and inexact). The narrator's experience is inspired by that of Shusterman's son, Brendan, and is illustrated throughout with Brendan's drawings. I'm impressed by the Shusterman family's courage and generosity to make this story public. Teenage readers who deal with mental illness might be able to see themselves in this story; those who don't might develop greater empathy for those who do. Big Ideals aside, Challenger Deep is a riveting tale. Some of the short chapters describe reality, while others depict hallucinations. This adds a mystery element to the story, as the reader tries to determine where the hallucinations intersect with reality.